Star Fox: Deception
by Demo ODST
Summary: I'm sorry but this story has been sidelined for the time being. sorry. for those who think this is a hating on Humans story, look at the title, then keep reading. Three years after the Aparoid threat, the Star Fox team is expanding. can this new team handle what is to come? or will they fall into the pit of deception? PS Most chapters have changes
1. Chapter 1: Strange Beginings

Fox leaned back in his chair, bored at watching sub-standard pilots go up against Krystal and Falco. His eyes were drooping when Peppy's voice jerked him awake.

"And our last candidate is, well it's a human by the name of William Hawkins." Fox was stunned for a second before he spoke.

"I thought humans stayed away from the Lylat system. Don't like the Cornerian Federation." Peppy shrugged as he responded.

"Well, apparently this one didn't. He flies a second generation Arwing. Has some very good recommendations but isn't real experienced." Fox nodded as he sat up and looked at the Battle Monitor in front of them. He had never seen a human fighter pilot at work and he was genuinely curious about how he would fare up against his closest friends. Krystal, who was more than his friend, was a telepath, allowing her to read the mind of her opponent. Even though she wasn't the greatest pilot, she could give a tactical edge no one else could. Falco on the other hand, was an amazing pilot.

"Hmm, well, give him the all clear." Peppy nodded and he watched the screen, where the two green triangles marked as Krystal and Falco advanced on the one red blip. They were technically in a specialized simulator, set up in a hanger on the Orbital Gate space station. The simulator actually connected into the fighters themselves, using a scan to reveal the true capabilities of the fighter. Krystal's voice suddenly flooded the radio.

"Falco, I can't get a read on him. I can sense his presence but I can't tell what he's thinking. I don't get it, it's like his mind is blocked off!" Fox stared intently at the screen, his curiosity rising.

"Don't worry about it Krystal, it's two on one. We can beat this guy in our sleep!" the blips drew closer together until they were just out of weapons range. The red blip suddenly flipped and shot away from Falco and Krystal, letting the two of them catch up to him. Just as white lines appeared, marking weapons fire, the human started to juke and dodge, neatly avoiding every round. He shot into a nearby junkyard and they followed, trying to draw up a new bead on him. His fighter deployed flares just before disappearing off the sensors.

"Where did he go? Falco, do you see him?" their ships started circling away from his last location as they searched.

"No, I don't, how the hell did he…" Falco's voice changed pitch as the blip reappeared, right behind him. "Damn! He's on me!" a split second later, an X replaced Falco's blip. "Krystal, I'm out."

"What!?" there was complete shock in her voice as the human closed on her ship. She set up for a head to head, only to shoot past his ship. He was already facing the other way, set up to shoot after her and they took off on a wild chase through the junk. "Damn it, I can't shake him!" strangely, he wasn't firing, simply following her. White lances appeared and they slammed into not her fighter, but a piece of junk, blasting it apart. Krystal juked and weaved through, narrowly avoiding most of the debris, only to be caught by a missile fired around the debris. An X appeared over her blip and the simulation ended.

"Pilot, William Hawkins is it?" Fox's voice echoed slightly in the empty bridge. A voice he didn't recognize came over the radio in response.

"Sir, it's just Hawkins, sir." Fox hesitated for a second before he spoke.

"First, don't call me sir, second, welcome to the star fox team kid. Get yourself into the Hanger so we can get you sorted out." He clicked the radio off as he spoke to Peppy. "Well, I think he'll do. And I think he and Mira will be combatable fliers. She prefers the second gens too." Peppy nodded as he spoke.

"Agreed. Well, I think that's it for me today. Slippy is finishing off the drive core's tuning as we speak. Until tomorrow Fox. Rob, you have the bridge." Rob's mechanical voice acknowledged and Fox followed Peppy off, waving goodbye on the elevator. The door opened and he stepped out, turning down the hallway and walking out into the hanger bay. Krystal's third gen Arwing was landing on its rack as Falco descended the ladder the flight crew had pushed up to it. He glanced around the hanger, seeing Mira underneath her second gen Arwing, tweaking the tuning on one of the thrusters.

"Hey Fox, the rookie is a little ways behind me. He had to grab his duffle bag." Fox smiled back at Krystal as she descended her ladder. Her Heads up Display rig was dangling in her hand as she hugged him.

"Hey. What happened out there with your telepathy? You've never had a problem before." She shrugged as she responded.

"I don't know. Honestly. It's a first for me too. I'll go get Mira." She winked at him as she departed. He simply grinned, knowing she had literally read his mind. Falco wandered over as an Arwing gracefully drifted into the hanger. Its landing gear lowered and it set down on the floor. The fighter stood out in the hanger, given its G-diffuser's were painted the same grey as the body, unlike the sky blue around it. The human pilot climbed out as the cargo ramp lowered. He pulled a duffle bag out and sealed the fighter. His brown hair seemed to stand in every direction after he tugged his full face helmet off.

"Hawkins, over here!" the human glanced up before trotting over. There was something strange to Fox about seeing a face without fur on it.

"Am I correct to assume that you are McCloud? And you must be Lombardi." He held his hand out and politely shook both of their hands.

"You would be correct. That was some pretty impressive flying out there. Never seen anyone catch Falco with his pants down like that." Falco grunted as he glared at Fox, the faintest trace of a smile at the edge of his beak.

"Yeah, it was. I liked that trick with the flares. Never seen it before." Falco seemed genuinely impressed.

"Thank you. Honestly, just short on work right now, hoping I'll get some with this outfit." Fox smirked as Krystal and Mira walked over. Krystal brushed some of her violet hair out of her eyes as she spoke.

"I've never met someone I couldn't read while fighting. Shook me off quite a bit actually." He shook her hand as he spoke, again, just as polite as before.

"Hello, you must be Krystal. Don't feel bad. I shoved you out. Same as locking away memories from yourself." He shrugged slightly before continuing. "And, if you would be so kind, you are?" Mira seemed to shrivel slightly as the conversation shifted to her. She was shy around strangers, and was a quiet girl without that. She had a very narrow short muzzle, almost as if you had combined Fox's and Katt's muzzles, and her fur was only a few shades darker than the human's skin. She had dark brown hair that fell down past her shoulders and her deep blue eyes seemed to draw most people's attention. Her bushy tail flicked slightly as Fox spoke for her.

"This is Mira. She will be your new wingman, and you will share a dorm together. The other pilots are myself, paired with Krystal, Falco paired with that dark furred woman over there, Katt. The other two aren't in the hanger, Bill Grey, and Lucy Hare." The human nodded and shook Mira's hand.

"Pleasure to meet you. I hope we get along Miss." Her pointed ears fluttered with her tail as she spoke, her voice almost inaudible in the noisy hanger.

"Thank you, and likewise." Her smile was weak and the small group stood awkwardly until Fox finally spoke.

"Well, Mira, Krystal, would you mind showing Hawkins to his new bunk?" Krystal grinned as she spoke.

"Yeah, Hawkins if, you'll just follow me." Fox watched the three of them leave and Krystal stopped at the door.

_Just so you know, Hawkins is impressed with us. Apparently, he thought his reception was going to be less than friendly._ Krystal's voice seemed to come from inside his own head as he thought back.

_Krystal, you know how much I hate it when you do this, right?_ Her smile broadened as she continued to smile at him, waving goodbye.

_Yes. Love you!_ He rolled his eyes as she left, repeating her last statement in his head. Falco was about to trot over to Katt when Fox stopped him.

"Well, honestly, what do you think of our new pilot?" he grunted again as he responded.

"He's good Fox, almost as good as you. Plus, I think he'll be good with Mira. They are a lot closer together in age than most of the team. Might get her to start loosening up. Now I'm going to go chat up Katt unless you stop me again." Falco winked and trotted over to his slender wing mate. Fox rolled his eyes again before thinking to Krystal.

_Meet back in our cabin?_ It toke a few seconds for her to respond, and he almost thought she hadn't been paying attention.

_I will Fox. Our two rookies are going to get along well!_

_()_

I followed the violet vixen through the halls of the ship. I felt almost out of place amongst all of the different aliens aboard and I could barely hold back laughter at some of the individuals that passed. One looked like a saggy, depressed basset hound in a lab coat. My new wing mate seemed like a half fox, half cat. She was actually a very beautiful girl. She was silent as she followed just behind me. I fought the temptation to ask about her parentage as Krystal suddenly stopped and spun, facing the two of us.

"Well, here we are! I'm sure Mira can show you around the room. I hope it's comfortable enough." I stepped through the door and pressed the light switch. There was a small desk on either side of the room, with a pair of chairs facing them. One of these desks was covered in all sorts of small nick-knacks, as well as a small picture frame. A single bed sat on either side of the room after the desks and the back wall was a screen and a second door leading into what I assumed was the bathroom.

_Hmm, bigger than my last apartment back on earth. _A voice that seemed familiar seemed to enter my mind, foreign and unmistakable.

_Well, it is a fairly nice room._ I glanced at Krystal and she was smiling.

"You like it." I nodded, simply confirming her statement. I dropped my duffel bag onto the empty desk and started pulling items out, starting with my blaster pistol and rifle.

"Why do you have those if you're a pilot?" it was only the second time I had heard her speak as Mira picked up the long slender rifle. Most Cornerian infantry weapons were half the length of it. Mira's voice was very soft, almost like a kitten made to speak.

"I was an infantrymen three years ago. Enlistment got cut short, medical discharge so I picked up stunt flying, and made a jump to dogfighting." She nodded as she gently set the weapon down. Krystal's voice returned to the room.

"Well, I'll leave you two be. If you have any questions about the ship, just ask Mira, I'm sure she will show you around if you like. Goodbye!" she stopped at the door and winked at me as her voice filled my mind.

_You hurt her, and I'll kill you with my mind._ I let an innocent expression cross my face as I thought back.

_I won't. Now stay out of my head, Krystal. _She had stepped out by the time I had finished the thought and I didn't even know if she had felt it. I turned back to unpacking my bags quietly until Mira spoke.

"So you were medically discharged?" I nodded as I spoke.

"Yes. But it was a load of crap. Shouldn't have been. That was what, a year ago?" I shrugged as I pulled out my few civilian clothes and my old camouflaged uniforms. At the bottom of the sack was my old body armor and I set it beside my rifle. "Are there combat simulators on this ship?" I sat in the chair and spun it to face her siting on her bed.

"Um, I don't actually know. I've only been on here about two weeks. I'm not a very good pilot." Her entire body seemed to sag as she spoke. I watched her curiously.

"If you weren't good, then why are you here? And it seems like flying is important to you." She nodded as she stared at the floor.

"I don't know. My parents were pilots with the military. They were both killed over the Aparoid home world three years ago. I think Fox just toke pity on me and let me join." We both stayed silent as the ship suddenly lurched, undocking from the orbital gate. "Why did you want to know if we have simulators?" I glanced up at her as she spoke.

"Want to see how you fly. Help me work with you." She nodded and silence filled the air again. The light in the room suddenly glowed yellow as an alarm went off, accompanied by a mechanical voice.

"All pilots, report to the bridge immediately. Repeat, all pilots, to the bridge immediately!" we glanced at each other and I smirked at her.

"Well, looks like I'll know shortly."


	2. Chapter 2: First Flight

Fox was about to open the door to his cabin when a klaxon alarm went off, followed by Rob's voice. He sighed as he turned back down the hall to the elevators. The door opened to reveal Krystal in the elevator and he stepped in. she smiled to him as the door sealed again.

"Any idea what's up?" Fox shook his head as he responded.

"Nope. Guess Rob found us a job or something." He shrugged as they stepped off the elevator. They were two of the first ones on the bridge, only Peppy managed to beat them. He sat in his command chair as the rest of the pilots slowly trickled into the room. Hawkins and Mira were the last two to enter, Hawkins fading into one of the corners. "Well Rob, what do ya got?" the lights dimmed as the holographic projector warmed up, showing a map of the Meteo Asteroid field. A small red X was placed in one of the many safe passages through it.

"General Pepper requested that the star fox team investigate a section of the Meteo asteroid field. Bringing up sensor image." Rob's mechanical voice filled the room as the screen zoomed in on the area. "A group of pirates have been raiding ships in this area. The whereabouts of their base is currently unknown." Peppy spoke up, manipulating the screen as he did so.

"We could use the Freighter we have as bait. Have a group of fighters escorting from the asteroids themselves. I know that could be dangerous, but it may lure them out, then we force their forces to retreat, and we follow them. The Great Fox would act as the reason for the retreat." Fox stroked his chin thoughtfully as he watched it cross the screen. The freighter had acted as a jump ship while they rebuilt the Great Fox.

"Alright, Peppy, you and Rob operate the freighter. Falco, Hawkins, and Mira, we will fly escort. Bill, I want you to lay low, just flight systems and passive scanners. Follow them. When they stop, return to the ship and report. Am I clear?" the room seemed to nod as one as he spoke. Krystal seemed to be the only one in protest. She was glaring at Fox and he felt guilt rising up in his stomach. "Alright, Star Fox, move out!" he shouted these last few words and the entire team marched off the bridge. Krystal stopped him just off the bridge.

"Fox, what is going on?! This is the third mission in six months that you've put me on reserve! And we have had only three missions!" he shifted his feet as he spoke.

"I want to see how Hawkins and Mira work together. And I don't want all my money in one pot. Okay?" she continued glaring at him as she spoke.

"So how come you always take Falco and leave me here? You know that you two aren't half as good as when we work together!" Fox started marching toward the elevators.

"It's nothing Krystal! Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" she grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Because you already have! I know it's because you are scared I'm going to get hurt!" Fox yanked his arm out of her grip and continued toward the elevator.

"I'm not scared of you getting hurt. You have your orders Krystal." He pressed the down button on the elevator and he barely heard her final comment.

"Fox, please don't lie to me. We both know that's not true." As soon as the elevator started down, he cursed and slammed his fist into the wall.

()

Mira finished her preflight checks and startled when Hawkins's voice buzzed into her HUD rig's earpiece.

"Comm check, alpha, bravo, Charlie, delta, over?" she smirked, knowing this was the military way to check your communications equipment.

"Hawkins, don't worry about being all military about this. Were mercenaries, remember?" she finished her checks by firing up the HUD interface as he responded.

"Yeah well, that's what I was trained with. And you're comin through loud and clear." She smiled as she watched the door. Fox for some reason hadn't entered the hanger yet. He suddenly rushed in and climbed into his third generation Arwing. Falco's voice followed over the radio.

"About time McCloud! What toke you so long?" Fox's fighter powered up and rose off the clamp, about to shoot out of the hanger as Fox responded.

"Nothing Falco. All ships, launch!" Mira barely had time to react as she lifted her fighter off the plating and shot after the flight. Falco and Hawkins had managed to launch a split second after Fox. The group formed up as they vectored away from the Great Fox II. Falco flew off Fox's port wing, and Hawkins off his starboard. She was flying just off Hawkins's starboard wing herself. Fox gave the signal and Hawkins and herself split away from Fox and Falco. She followed Hawkins as he maneuvered through the asteroids, seemingly able to just flow through them. She tried to emulate his skill, but to no avail.

"Do you always fly like this?" she heard him sigh over the radio before he spoke.

"Mira, have you ever heard of radio silence? I mean, seriously?" she rolled her eyes as they continued through the asteroids. If she didn't have the Identify Friend or Foe system active, she would have never known where the small freighter was. She left her sensors in a passive mode, not actively scanning for threats, but still able to detect IFF signatures, and enemy scanning attempts. Hawkins fighter came to a stop and she watched as the freighter passed. She glanced at him, curious. She could just barely see his outline in the cockpit, holding a single finger to his mouth before pointing upward. She glanced up and saw the group of fighters floating above them, all powered down. The fighters powered on as she heard one of them speak.

"Come on boys! We got another catch!" she instinctively moved her hand to the throttle, about to follow, when she noticed Hawkins fighter still floating there. She didn't dare turn on her radio as she waited for him to move. At least two squadrons of small, disposable strike fighters had left the asteroids, vectoring in on the freighter. Green lances marked weapons fire from the freighter, and its small turret gun. One of the strike fighters detonated as a voice filled the radio.

"This is the freighter Hope, we need immediate assistance! We are under attack by unknown forces!" the voice sounded like Katt, who was supposed to still be back on the ship. She was about to fire her thrusters when Fox's voice echoed out of her earpiece.

"This is Fox McCloud of the Star Fox team. We are almost in visual range of you, will be there shortly, just hang in there!" she smiled, realizing his ploy. Hawkins gunned the engines and she followed. The two of them dived into the formation, but she didn't fire. She watched as at least three of the small strike fighters exploded under his fire. The Pirate's voice rang out over the radio as they started to pull away.

"All ships, retreat! We weren't hired to fight no Star Fox!" she brought her fighter to a stop as they pulled out. Hawkins fighter was just a few meters ahead of her. Fox's voice poured out of the radio.

"Star Fox to freighter, we cant provide escort beyond this. We gotta move on, are you good to go?" she floated to the freighter, glancing up and down the ship.

"One of those last shots tore through one of our G-diffusers. Were gonna head back, try to repair and try again later." There were small burns all over the ship, none of which looked serious.

"Alright, we can escort you to the edge of Meteo, no more." Katt acknowledged as they followed the ship out of the asteroids. She followed Hawkins as he landed in the Hanger. The two ships were going to meet elsewhere, in case someone was still watching. She set the fighter down, powering it down as she clambered out.

"You're not too bad, need some training, but the instincts and reactions are there." she shrugged, tugging her HUD rig off. Hawkins was leaning on the nose of her fighter, his helmet resting under his armpit. He had on a grey military uniform with some sort of thick black chest rig. It was covered in different equipment, from pouches, a hand held radio, and even some sort of beacon.

"I'm complete crap compared to you! The way you just flowed through those asteroids!" he laughed as he shrugged.

"It's just being familiar with the aircraft. I couldn't do that in Fox's Mark three, or one of the interceptors. Heck, doing it in yours would be iffy." She raised an eyebrow at him as he spoke. Her ear folded slightly as well, mimicking her eyebrow.

"We fly the same fighter?" he chuckled slightly as he responded, looking up and down her fighter, as if he could see the mechanics within.

"Every fighter is a unique entity. All are tuned differently, plus, I have some serious upgrades on mine too. Human based shield and reactor configuration, amped up cannons and power systems, stronger fusion torch, and stronger thrusters." She glanced at his fighter, almost confused. Other than the low condition of her fighter, they physically looked identical.

"Hmm, okay." He stared at her for a few seconds, almost as if he was confused.

"How long have you been flying?" she shrugged and pointed at the hanger exit.

"Not long, honestly, this is only my third time up in this Arwing." They began walking toward the exit as she continued. "But my dad gave me a few basic lessons in an old training fighter." He suddenly stopped for a second, seemingly stunned by her words.

"Really?" she nodded and they started to move again. "Damn, well, stick to it. You belong in the skies." She felt blood rushing to her cheeks as her tail flicked wildly behind her.

"Really?" they were stepping onto the elevator as he responded, already on their way back to their bunk room.

"First thing you should learn about me, is that I will always speak the truth. Doesn't mean I will always speak, but when I do, I'm not lying." She nodded, her heart feeling oddly light.

"Well, thanks for the information. Are all humans this… Noble?" he smirked as he shook his head, barely seeming to notice as he stripped the chest rig off.

"Anytime. And no, were just like you, come in all shapes, colors, and values. Now I'm going to assume this is my bunk, and get some shut eye. Night" she smirked as he slung himself onto the bed, still wearing a t-shirt and cargo pants. Her thoughts drifted vaguely as she changed into her night clothes in the bathroom. Before she knew, she was slipping under her blankets and falling asleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Calm Before the Storm

Fox paced back and forth in the hanger, waiting for Bill to get back. The hanger had practically gone silent as he waited. A familiar hum entered the hanger as the interceptor gracefully floated in, landing on the deck plating. The interceptor was designed off of the third generation Arwing, using almost the same G-Diffuser system, but its wings were thicker, and locked back in a swept position. Its fuselage was also split half way down from the nose of the fighter, holding the two main cannons. In between was a small version of the chargeable homing Plasma weapon off the first generation Arwing. One of the other differences was the much shallower range of motion on the G-Diffusers, able to fold to almost closed, letting the fighter physically land, much like the second generation Arwing. All of this, with the more powerful Ion engine, made it one of the fastest fighters on the market, even if it lacked in armor and firepower. Bill clambered out as he spoke to Fox.

"Well, I found them. They are working out of a mined out asteroid." Fox nodded as he gestured for him to leave the hanger.

"Does peppy know?" Bill smirked as he responded, tugging his flight helmet off. It had slots cut in it to let his floppy ears hang out of it, although, Fox had seen him in a rush, ram the helmet on without stuffing them through.

"Of course. Said he was already contacting Pepper." The two of them marched into one of the elevators and rode it up to the command deck. Once inside, fox lead the way toward the bridge, turning into the conference room, just across the hall from Peppy's cabin and still a good way away from the bridge. Peppy was already inside, Pepper's silhouette on the holographic projector.

"Good timing Fox, as I was just saying to Peppy, we thought this base had been abandoned over seven months ago." Pepper's left arm was in a sling, and Fox knew his right leg almost didn't work, forcing him to use a cane to move. The Aparoid infection had permanently damaged them.

"So, what do we know?" Peppy answered, bringing up a map with a large asteroid in the center, and three Cornerian destroyers.

"They attempted to attack the base with three ships. They were forced to retreat, and their main cannons didn't even scratch the asteroid, and they believed the enemy was using transfer gates to move troops." It showed the simulated version of the small skirmish. "But the attacks stopped afterword and they assumed the pirates left." Fox flicked through the scan data as he thought, debating exactly what to do.

"What if we let the freighter make another run through the asteroids? Katt and Mira pilot, with two stowaways in a crate. Let the pirate's capture the ship, Katt and Mira eject, and the Pirates fly it home. Then we burst out and destroy the transfer gates while the rest of the team strikes the outside of the base. Maybe recover Mira and Katt too." Peppy nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"We would need a way to block your life signs. I'll get Slippy on that in the morning. I'd assume you will be dealing with the Gates?" Fox glanced at him before speaking.

"Yeah, and I'll bring Hawkins. Human infantry gear is supposed to be some of the best out there, and he has ground combat training." General Pepper broke into a coughing fit, lasting several minutes as he fought to bring it back under control.

"I trust you know what you're doing, Fox. I have the second part of the payment ready for when the job is done. I'm counting on you Star Fox. Pepper out!" his image faded out and Peppy disabled the projector.

"Well, we can iron out the details tomorrow. Let's get some sleep." Peppy nodded, saying good night as Bill followed Fox out of the door. They shook hands at the elevators, splitting separate ways down the hall. His door made a quiet rasp as he stepped inside. He froze for a second as Krystal sat up on the bed, still fully dressed.

"Hey Krystal." She grunted at him as he stripped out of his flight suit, storing it in his wardrobe at the foot of their bed. He slumped onto the bed, strangely exhausted. Krystal's voice startled him.

"Well, do we have a plan?" he absently nodded as he stared at the ceiling.

"Yes. I'll fill you in tomorrow while we iron out the details. If you don't mind." There was a pause before she spoke, and Fox could swear he had heard the faintest trace of a sigh.

"Okay. Fox we need to talk." He rolled to face away from her, feeling blood rush up to his cheeks.

"Just get some sleep Krystal, we can chat later." She sighed as the bed rocked slightly. He heard her dresser open and she started changing into her night clothes. He felt himself drift to sleep, not even feeling her slip into the bed.

()

I shot awake, sweat pouring out of every pore in my body. My breath came in ragged gasps as I fought to bring it back under control. Faint images of bright silvery blue streaks still flashed in my mind. Mira's soft voice made me jump, slamming my head into the ceiling.

"Are you alright?" I nodded as I rubbed my throbbing head.

"Yeah, just a nasty dream. Nothing to worry about." I looked at her, confused for a second. Her body position seemed to point at her being exhausted.

"Didn't look that way. You thrashing about woke me up. Well, every time you even shifted position, it woke me up." I grimaced as I swung my feet off the bed, my eyelids feeling like they were made of sand paper.

"Don't worry about it. And I'm sorry, I didn't know you were a light sleeper, or I would've warned you." She shrugged as she glanced around the room, her gaze falling on the picture on her desk.

"I don't sleep much anyway. What was the dream?" I slowly tugged my boots on as I responded, trying to choose my words wisely.

"Nothing important. Just a nightmare." I shivered slightly as I stood and pulled an old leather jacket from the dresser, instantly tugging it on. She grabbed some clothes from her dresser and spoke as she stepped into the bathroom.

"Your body language says otherwise. Anyway, I think the cafeteria will be opening soon." I nodded as she disappeared through the doorway. My eyes fell on her desk, curiously scanning the items on it. One item in particular drew my eye, a hand carved wooden Earth wolf, standing half on a small boulder. It was amazingly well carved in precise detail that I doubted anyone but a human could I have done. I picked it up and turned it over in my hand, investigating it's every line and cut. "Do you like it?" I glanced up at her, hurriedly placing the sculpture back on the desk.

"I… uh yeah. It's extremely well made." Her tail flicked as she smiled.

"Thank you. My dad taught me wood carving when I was seven. Been doing it ever since." The faintest trace of a smile crossed her face as she scooped up the sculpture. "I made this almost three years ago. It was supposed to be a present but, well I ended up keeping it." there was a strong note of sadness in her voice as she spoke.

"Why a wolf though? I know one of the Cornerian races is very wolf like, but I don't really see why you would carve one." She frowned slightly as she spoke.

"I was never really popular amongst my peers. I gained an interest in the different animals in the Sol system, more just to pass the time. Wolves just call to me. The way they work as a team to take down larger and stronger animals. It's inspiring to me." She shrugged as I raised my eyebrow at her.

"You seem nice enough. I'm sure you have a good group of friends." She shook her head, a single tear sliding down her face.

"People like me are heavily frowned upon. I mean, well, Mutts. Having parents that aren't the same race. People have looked down on me my whole life. Used me, insulted me, said I would never amount to anything, that I was just a waste of fresh air." I smiled to her in as much of a comforting fashion as I could do.

"So? Don't listen to them. You are who you choose to be. Simple as that." She glanced up at me, a faint glint of recognition in her eyes.

"You sound a lot like my dad." I shrugged as my eyes wandered back to the carvings. A second piece stood out to me and I gingerly picked it up. It was of two Cornerians embracing each other, one looking like a much younger Fox, the other looking strikingly like Mira.

"What's this?" her ears fluttered and her tail swished as she seemed to simply shrivel up.

"Oh, um, that's nothing. Just an idle carving." I smirked at her as I set it down. I was about to wave her out of the room as she continued. "What is that a model of?" My eyes traced the line her pointing finger made in the air, following it all the way to the model Arwing on my own desk. It was the one thing on there that wasn't related to combat.

"I used to be a stunt pilot. That was our ship and colors." The craft was the same grey as the Star Fox teams Arwings, but the G-Diffusers were a deep blood red, and the Star Fox emblem was replaced with a dog skull with crossed swords beneath it.

"Oh. Ok. So flying is your past time?" I shrugged as I stepped out of the room, gesturing for her to lead the way.

"Not really. Only past time is making sure my gear is ready for my next mission. It's simple, don't have to think too much." I could feel her eyes on me as we stepped onto the elevator. "What?" she shrugged as she responded.

"I don't know, just seems more like your avoiding something." I stayed silent and stared at the wall. I absently followed her as she led the way to the cafeteria. We stepped inside and I was shocked to find almost twenty people sitting around the room.

"Is this most of the crew?" she nodded as we both grabbed trays of food.

"Yeah, the new ship has so many more systems and weapons that Rob can't handle them all. So Peppy suggested hiring a crew. A few mechanics that help out in the hanger, gunners, two engineers and a doctor. Oh and savannah, she's a chief." I glanced back at the cheetah like woman behind the counter.

"Makes sense. The last ship was lacking in a lot of ways." She raised an eyebrow at me as I spoke. "Well, she didn't exactly have any point defense systems, secondary weapons, anything other than the two bow cannons. Kinda pointless if you ask me." she shrugged as I spoke.

"If you say so. It worked for them for almost nine years so." I took a bite of the green hued eggs, surprised that it actually tasted like eggs, just thicker.

"Well, at least the eggs aint bad." She chuckled as she dug into her own food.


	4. Chapter 4:Trouble with Gates

Krystal sat in the briefing room with everyone else. She already knew the plan and it had its flaws but it was better than a frontal assault. The lights dimmed and the projector warmed up.

"Alright, we need to disable transfer gates in the asteroid. We can't get a good read on the set up but the best way to do that is from the inside. Hopefully target the main generator and blow it all in one shot. Me and Hawkins will be the assault team. We do know that they have a few smaller warships, they may try to escape with them. Most of the team will be tasked with attacking those ships." Hawkins instantly raised his hand.

"What's the insertion parameters and escape plan?" she glanced at him about to laugh until she remembered his recent past.

"Me and you will hide in a cargo crate Slippy rigged that will mask our life signs. Then Katt and Mira will pilot the freighter through the asteroids. They aren't as well known as the rest of the crew. When the pirates board, they will jump into the escape pod and run." Hawkins's hand was back in the air. "What is it now?!" she could see a small grin spreading on his face and she fought the temptation to read his thoughts.

"Well, if we are locked in a box, how will we know that our Trojan horse made it?" he was puzzled for a second as he responded.

"Telepathy is untraceable. Krystal will hide in her Arwing and watch us. Once in, she'll tell us. What the hell is a Trojan horse?" Hawkins looked around, looking for someone else who understood.

"Seriously, humanity has been accessible for eight years and none of you have heard the story of the fall of troy?" Krystal raised her eyebrow at him and he continued. "Thousands of years ago, Greece attacked Troy, two rival city states. Greece built a giant wooden horse and filled it with their best troops, then left it as an offering to the Trojan people as they falsely retreated. Leaving the victor a gift was a custom then. Anyway, when night fell, Greeks popped out of the horse and opened the gates for the Greek army. Trojan horse, get it?" a few others seemed still slightly confused but accepted the explanation as Fox grudgingly continued.

"Then, once inside, we will try to destroy the facility. Meanwhile, the others will destroy the ships that try to escape. Any REAL questions?" he glanced around the room, clearly irritated. "Alright then, move out!" the room emptied a lot faster than she thought it would, and she hung back to talk to Fox.

"Hey, be careful, okay Fox?" he nodded and smiled to her.

"Krystal, you know me, I'm always careful. Besides, I'll have Hawkins with me. And human infantry gear is supposed to be the best in the Galaxy. I'll be fine." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before marching out. She rolled her eyes and made her way into the hanger bay. She dropped into her fighter and fired it up. Within minutes, she was ducking and weaving through the asteroid field, feeling freer and happier than she had in months. She stopped the craft and shut the engine down as she reached the spot she was supposed to wait at. A life time seemed to pass before she felt Fox in the distance. She started the passive radar and watched the ship move closer, tracking its IFF signature. It arrived at the asteroid and she reached out to communicate with Fox, only to find his presence gone. she panicked as she powered her fighter on and moved closer. She reached the edge of the clearing and could feel life in the base, but still couldn't find Fox. Fighters suddenly rocketed out of the facility, zeroing in on her signature.

"Oh shit, I kicked the hornets' nest!"

()

I shifted on my feet, crammed up against Fox.

"We would have so much more room if you hadn't worn that damn armor and rifle." Fox was in civilian clothes with just a small pistol on his hip. I was in my armor from the infantry, as well as my rifle and an assault pack filled explosives.

"I'm sure you'll be thanking me once inside." He grunted as we waited for Krystal's signal. Human infantry armor consisted of a chest and back plate, shoulder plates, side plates, and a helmet, all covered with various different camouflaged plate carriers. Currently, it was just plain grey. The plates were aluminum weaved ceramic with a rubberized heat absorbent coating. This made the armor lightweight, but effective against both heat and kinetic based weapons. Human blasters also worked differently. Both used a laser to create plasma, but human weapons used depleted uranium encased in a ceramic cartridge, versus hydrogen gas released in the chamber. Once heated, both weapons used magnetic rails to sling the plasma out of the barrel and into the target. Cornerian blasters were notorious for being ineffective at range due to accuracy problems. The bullpup design on human rifles as well as the longer length allowed it to have much longer effective ranges. I used special tungsten rounds that the core didn't fully ionize, making a solid projectile encased in plasma. These rounds were excellent against armored targets.

"Krystal?" Fox looked confused as he spoke. "I could swear I felt her for a second." I looked at him before starting to unlock the door. "What are you doing?" I finished dialing the lock as I spoke.

"Krystal may not be able to reach us in the asteroid. You said you felt her and given the way she speaks of you, I'm sure you are familiar with the way her telepathy feels." The door popped open and I gestured for him to go first. "Ladies first." I smirked at his glare as he drew the blaster and stepped out. I followed and was blinded by light from the cockpit. My glasses polarized to block the light and I moved through the cargo bay, clearing each room and passageway in the bay. I barely heard Fox's shout from the front of the ship.

"Hawkins, you really need to see this!" I trotted into the cockpit to find myself staring out at a landing pad covered in vines. The bright light was coming from the sun inching toward the horizon in the distance.

"Oh shit. That's why Krystal couldn't reach you." We watched a group of pirates walking toward one of the over grown structures, laughing.

"I think our plan went to shit." Fox leaned up against the console before he cursed and slammed his fist into it. "Damn it! Krystal and the others are going to attack that place and be swarmed under!" his head dropped into his hands as I booted up the computer systems. "What are you doing!?" I shrugged as I started hacking into their battle net.

"Seeing if they left any doors open. And they don't even have a password on their base WIFI. Either they are really stupid or think no one will find them. Or just have SDS." Fox stared at me for a second, confused. "Ah never mind. I gotta stop using human phrases." I shrugged as I searched the system for the base schematics.

"Find anything?" I nodded as I double checked.

"Well, their using a fission based reactor. Highly unstable. Small charge and bye-bye base." Fox stared in disbelief for a second.

"But, that would mean the gates would shut down. We don't know where we are." I shrugged as I spoke.

"The bigger problem is this ships condition. Her warp drive is down, and I don't know if you can get it running again. Getting out won't be hard. The gates are their escape plan and if the base has a critical emergency, gates turn on. And these power couplings are designed to operate for three minutes, give or take, without power. That will keep the gate open." Fox nodded as he spoke.

"So we would have three minutes if we blow the reactor to get back to the ship and fly out." I shook my head as I spoke.

"No, I would have three minutes. This ship needs some repairs, and me moving through the base will distract them. I may know an Arwing mark two like the back of my hand, but that's about it." he nodded as I felt guilt rising in my gut. I knew the reactor would reach critical in less than sixty seconds after the charge went off, and there was no preventing someone from disarming the bomb.

"Alright. Get moving Hawkins. And good luck." I nodded and trotted down the ramp before looking back up it.

"I'm not the one who needs it."


	5. Chapter 5: Almost too Close to Call

Krystal ducked and weaved through the asteroids, chasing down one of the small strike fighters that were swarming out of the base. Strike fighters were small, lightly armed and unshielded. They made up for those down sides by being incredibly cheap to mass produce. She dove around an asteroid and fired a linked blast. The two lasers tore the fighter apart as she looped back toward the base. Falco's voice rang across the comms.

"I know these things are weak, but this is a bit much, even for me." She grimaced as she shot after another fighter, checking her RADAR at the same time. If Falco was being swarmed under, things were a lot worse than she thought.

"Just hang in there Falco. Fox has never let us down before!" the fighter she was after burst apart as she fired. Two more dropped onto her tail and she shot into one of the denser areas of the asteroids.

"Well, maybe he didn't! What if Hawkins killed him!" she fought the urge to shout as she stopped the fighter in the space of a few meters. Her G-Diffusers started alarming by the time the two smaller ships rocketed by. She released the G-Diffusers and shot after them, blowing both apart in a single pass.

"Katt, I would've felt it! It's more like he just left or something. Hawkins disappeared too! We just have to hang in there! He'll be out in a bit!" she dived into a raging dogfight between Mira, Billy, Falco, and at least two dozen strike fighters. She killed at least three fighters just diving through, four more chasing after her. She ducked and weaved, trying to fire on those chasing her teammates while avoiding their fire. She knocked two of the fighters chasing Mira out as Mira veered toward Krystal. Their fighters passed just meters apart. She watched as three of her four followers disappeared from the RADAR, the fourth peeling off to be chased down by Mira.

"Well, I think you owe me one there Krystal." She rolled her eyes as she dived after another fighter.

"No, were even, did you not notice the two behind you?!" the fighter in front of her exploded and she veered away, chasing after a pair going after Bill. One exploded under her fire, the other detonated as Falco shot by. She could swear Falco was giving her a thumbs up as he did so, and knowing Falco, he probably was. She shot away, leaving the remainders to them as she joined Katt and Lucy. Both of them were being swarmed by almost four whole squadrons of fighters that had just arrived out of the asteroid base.

"Damn it Falco, where the hell are you when I need you?!" Katt's voice filled the radio as she shouted. She watched Falco peel off from his group and shoot after Krystal. Whether he admitted it or not, he did like Katt.

"Hold on babe, I'm coming!" she smirked slightly as she dove after a group of fighters. She managed to destroy three of them as she chased after a different group, intending to try and scatter the fighters. She almost crashed into an asteroid as she suddenly felt Fox again.

"Fox!" she veered around, shooting toward the asteroid base. The freighter came out of the asteroid as Fox spoke over the radio.

"Sorry I'm runnin late guys. We got sent through the transfer gate." Mira's voice rang out over the radio before Krystal could speak.

"See Katt, Hawkins didn't do a thing to him." There was a certain sadness in Fox's voice as he spoke.

"Hawkins isn't coming. He stayed behind." Mira shouted almost instantly.

"What!? As in, dead?!" the asteroid suddenly burst apart, almost in answer to her shout.

()

I slipped through the unlocked door. The hallways were empty. I slung my rifle and started walking casually through the halls, my left hand resting on the seven inch combat knife on my thigh. I rounded one of the corners and almost walked right into one of the guards. He turned toward me, a hand falling to his weapon.

"Oh shit, you must be one of MacDonnell's guys. But I thought he wasn't supposed to be here for another week." I couldn't see his face below the armor, but I could easily assume it was surprised. My knife slipped out of the sheathe and I slammed it into the ape's throat. I raked it across, severing the spine. The body clattered to the floor, and his buddy stepped out of the door. He was stunned for a second as he saw the blood pooling around his team mate. My pistol came out of the holster and I fired a single shot into his chest. The pistol jerked in my hand as the slide rocked back and slammed forward, chambering the next cartridge. An alarm went off and I crossed the body, replacing the knife and pistol as I sprinted down the hallway. My rifle came up just in time as a three man squad rounded the corner. I fired a burst of rounds into the first two, the third being killed by the heavy tungsten slugs punching clean through.

"All personal, we have an intruder on base. All combat personal, find him! I want his head on a platter!" I grinned as I kept running, occasionally checking my map to make sure I was going the right way. I slid down a few flights of stairs and ran around a corner. Blue blaster bolts ripped past and I dived back behind the corner. I peeked around the corner, seeing the half dozen troops hunkered down.

"We got him pinned boys! Take him down!" I pulled a grenade out of its pouch, activated it and rolled it around the corner. There was a shout just before the grenade detonated. I rolled around the corner, easily lining the holographic sight up on the two survivors and firing a single round into each one. The door to the reactor was the only locked door in the whole facility. I aimed at the door panel and fired a trio of rounds into it. The door unlocked and I yanked it open. I stepped through and shot all of the techs then the cameras. The reactor loomed above me as I yanked a block of C-4 out of my pouch and rammed it on the coolant line. I armed the detonator and ran out to trigger the charge. The wall shook as I tossed the detonator away and slumped to the floor.

"Fox, Gate should be on. Get going." Fox's voice sounded confused over the radio.

"Where are you? Those gates shut down in three minutes, you got plenty of time to get here!" I sighed as I responded.

"Those power couplings won't be here anymore in about sixty seconds. Reactor is going faster than that." He swore over the radio as a door across the hall opened. My rifle popped up and shot the two guards that came through.

"Damn it Hawkins! You planned this didn't you?!" I absently nodded as he continued. "I'm leaving. I'm sorry." I shrugged as I spoke.

"Don't be, it was me or you." The radio crackled for a second, like he was going to respond but didn't. Something metallic caught my eye in the open doorway. I stood and sprinted over, wrenching the tarp off of the Jet bike. I yanked out the gloves and faceplate that let me seal my armor and locked them in place before firing the bike up. "Great plan Will, send away the ship when there was a jet bike right next door. Just my damned luck." I gunned the engines and shot toward the vehicle bay doors. They had opened in the emergency, giving me a clear shot to one of the gates. I rammed the throttle down as the base's computer counted down to the reactor's destruction.

"Five, four, three, two." The gate was only feet away. "One" I slipped through the gate as a tremendous amount of heat blasted behind me. I was surrounded by rock and debris as the explosion flooded through the gates, tearing the asteroid base apart. My lower body felt like it was on fire as I drifted through space.

"Hawkins! Damn it you idiot!" Mira's voice rattled across the radio and I missed a few things that others said. I waited for silence to fall before I spoke.

"I know yall are a bit busy and all, but can someone tell me if my ass is on fire or not? Sure as hell feels like it!" there were whoops and hollers over the radio. I could barely hear Mira speaking.

"Will, you asshole, we all thought you were dead. Where are you?" I grinned as I leaned back, using my legs to grip the jet bike.

"Um floating around base bits. Need a lift." Krystal's voice broke across the radio next.

"Wait, how are you not suffocating, or freezing?" I rolled my eyes as I spoke.

"All UEC armor is sealable against biological and chemical attacks. Works as a _temporary _spacesuit. So if you don't mind, get your asses over here before parts start freezing off! I like my ten fingers and toes thank you very much!" I saw a strike fighter zeroing in behind Mira and I aimed my rifle without thinking. I squeezed the trigger and a sliver bolt lanced out. I didn't get to see if it connected as I started spinning wildly from the recoil. Fox's voice rang across the radio.

"Nice shot. Hawkins, if you ever try to sacrifice yourself again, I'll kill you myself." I grinned as Mira's Arwing slowed to a stop beside me. The nose of the bike slammed into her hull, stopping my spin.

"I'll check the door over for jet bikes next time!" her cargo ramp lowered and I wrestled the bike in before grabbing onto the extender. Cold was already starting to creep into my extremities.

"Go, gently. I'm holding onto the extenders out here." Her voice came back confused as the fighter jerked beneath my grip.

"Why aren't you in the bay?" she gently navigated out of the debris. There were still a few dogfights going on around us as I responded.

"Well, I kinda like the jet bike, so I thought I might as well keep it. Ya know?" she sighed and I could just imagine her eyes rolling. Seconds ticked by as the cold kept spreading.

"Oh shit, I got bogeys on my tail, need some cover, now please!" I glanced behind us as two of the ships exploded. The pilot had swept in from above, a tactic Falco had always preferred. A third exploded as an Arwing swung in behind it. Weapons fire caused the Arwing to pull off, trying to shake its own bogey.

"Damn it, Hawkins hold on tight, I gotta take evasive maneuvers." Krystal's voice rang out almost instantly.

"Don't you dare Mira! I got him handled!" there was a flash of purple exhaust and I nearly missed the Arwing rocket past us, her G-Diffuser missing Mira's canopy by inches. There was one final explosion as Krystal's fighter pulled away. Cold was starting to spread to most of my body as I spoke.

"L-little f-f-ast-t-ter p-p-please. G-gett-ting a lit-t-ttle cold-d-d out-tt here." The fighter almost jerked out of my hands as we closed on the Great Fox's hanger bay.

"Oh, quit bitching down there." The Great Fox II somehow seemed a far more beautiful sight than it had been even just a day ago. She looked almost like the original, only shorter in height, longer in length, and her wings bent back instead of forwards. Mira's landing skids lowered as she gently set the fighter down on the deck plating. Gravity suddenly filled the hanger as air was pumped back in. I tore my helmet off and sent it skidding across the floor. Even the cold metal seemed warm as I lay there sprawled on the deck. Different hums filled the hanger as Arwings trickled in. Mira dropped onto the deck plating, crouching beside me.

"I'm angry with you. My first wing mate, and in two days you're already trying to get yourself killed. Tsk-tsk, you're going to have to do better than that." She was grinning as she spoke.

"Well, I admit, it wasn't my greatest plan. Though Fox runs away a little too easily. Toke almost no convincing." She laughed as she spoke.

"Alright. Well, if that bike is still in my bay when you leave this hanger, your ass is mine." I smiled as I weakly raised my arm.

"Alright. I think I may just rest here awhile. Sounds good, nice and comfy." I glanced at the bike and patted it as Krystal and Fox trotted over. "I think you need a name girl. Sally, I'll call you sally." I let my sore body flop to the floor as Fox spoke.

"So, couldn't replace a popped power cable when there was a whole box right there in the cargo hold?" I glanced up at them as he spoke.

"Well, I may have stretched that part a little bit." A malicious grin spread across his face as he spoke.

"Well, I think Slippy could use some help fixing the freighter. Or, more correctly, order around while he watches. I think that sounds like a good punishment for lying. Eh Krystal." She had the same smile on her face as she spoke.

"Oh yeah. But what's the punishment for saving your life?" he laughed as he spoke.

"Well, I'll have to think about that for a minute." His tone changed slightly as he spoke directly to me. "Why'd you do that Hawkins? Try to sacrifice yourself for me."

"In the UEC, we're taught to value good leaders. A good leader can turn the tide of a battle. You're a good leader Fox." An unspoken thought crossed my mind as I spoke.

_And I'm already dead anyways._ Krystal's tail flicked as the thought crossed, and her eyes flicked toward me, her expression suddenly grim. The expression was gone as fast as it came.

"Hmm, well thanks. And if you try to save my life again, I'm kicking your ass." I nodded and closed my eyes as my head dropped onto the metal deck. I felt a hand on my shoulder and my eyes opened to find Mira crouched over me.

"Are you alright? Honestly?" I nodded as I smiled up at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just sore. Not every day you ride a nuke through a gate ya know. Don't recommend it." her slightly curled hair seemed to perfectly frame her face as she smiled.

"Good. And I don't ever want to lose my wing mate, okay?" I smiled and nodded before letting my head rest on the floor again.

"I'm gonna take a nap now. Bye-bye." I weakly waved to her and let my arm drop onto my chest.

"Are you sure you're okay, you're acting kinda loopy?" I nodded, my voice feeling like it was coming from the end of a long tunnel.

"Yup. Just need a nap." And with that, I slipped off into sleep, blissfully unaware of the events around me.


	6. Chapter 6: Sparring

Fox punched a few commands into his chair as the holo projector fired up. The bridge lights darkened as he waited for the call to be answered. General Pepper appeared on the screen, almost instantly speaking.

"Don't tell me that nuclear blast on Fachina was caused by you?" Fox smirked as he spoke.

"Sorry about that. It was Hawkins idea to detonate the reactor. But hey, no more pirates, right?" general Pepper chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, I can't argue that you don't get results. Payment is already being transferred to your account. Good job Fox. Pepper out." Fox grinned as he closed the comm line and stepped off the bridge. His feet carried him aimlessly toward the cafeteria until his wrist computer beeped. There was a inter ship message on it that he opened.

_Fox, me, you, training room. If you're not afraid of a little sparing match?_ Fox smirked as he read the sender, calling him back. An image of Hawkins at his desk appeared, his plasma rifle in pieces on the desk in front of him.

"Oh, hey Fox, so what do you say to sparing?" Fox grunted before he spoke.

"Well, are you ready to get your ass kicked?" Hawkins smiled as Mira moved into the image behind him, one ear canted to the side.

"Well, you should be asking yourself the same question. I'll just finish cleaning my M-thirty-two, then I'll meet you down there." Mira cut in before Fox could respond, her eyes darting between them.

"Wait, wait, wait, what are you two talking about?" Fox smirked as Hawkins turned in his chair.

"I got some dossiers on the Star Fox team a couple months back, says here that Fox is quite the martial artist, so I thought I would test that." Her jaw dropped as she stared at him.

"Are you insane!? Fox will mop the ring with your ass!" he just smirked as he turned back to Fox.

"She has so little faith in me. See ya in a bit then McCloud." Fox rolled his eyes and closed the communications line.

"Well, this will be fun." He grinned as he got on the elevator. The doors opened and he nearly ran into Krystal.

"Oh, Fox. What are you up too?" there was a stiffness to her voice as she spoke. He tried to smile to her as he spoke.

"Training room. Hawkins apparently wants to spar. Thought I might indulge him." An almost evil smile spread across her face as she responded, already following.

"Oh I have to see this." He rolled his eyes again as they marched off down the hall. " By the way, how did Hawkins do on the freighter?" he sighed as they continued down the hall.

"After he woke up, I only really forced him to work alone for fifteen minutes. Then me and Slippy joined him. He's actually fun to repair things with. The freighter still needs work though. Warp drive is still down. Gun turret fried while we were working. Won't be usable for a while." She nodded and silence fell between them.

()

Krystal followed Fox into the training room. Hawkins and Mira were already standing in the corner by the large hand to hand mat. A small group was standing around it, including Bill and Falco. The two of them seemed to be hosting betting. She trotted over to Mira as Hawkins handed her his leather jacket. Fox stripped his own jacket, leaving him in the tank top he wore beneath it.

"Who do you think is gonna win, Krystal?" she laughed, instantly responding to Mira.

"Fox, no doubt there." Fox had already assumed his combative stance, left foot slightly ahead of the right, hands loosely hovering in front of his neck. Hawkins seemed almost relaxed, his hands loose at his side. But his own left foot was slightly in front of his right, and he seemed to be bouncing loosely between his feet, so imperceptibly that she doubted that anyone else noticed it. Bill's voice rang out, the room almost instantly silencing.

"Alright, get too it you two!" Hawkins didn't move, his eyes fixed on Fox, almost as if he was beckoning him. Fox lunged forward, his left hand jabbing at Hawkins. Hawkins easily deflected it as Fox started a flurry of rapid strikes. Every single blow was easily deflected aside, and just after a botched upper cut, Hawkins slammed his on fist into Fox's chest, followed by a left footed snap kick in almost the same place. Fox staggered back, but managed to dodge Hawkins Right hook that followed. Fox's left fist slammed into Hawkins side. He staggered for a second as Fox lashed out with a right jab. Hawkins dodged it, clamping his arm down on Fox's wrist. His arm snaked around Fox's, using it as a lever as he placed his left leg behind Fox's, sending him to the floor. Fox barely rolled out of the way as Hawkins slammed his foot down where he had been. Fox was on his feet and suddenly jumped, summersaulting over Hawkins. As Fox landed, Hawkins lashed out with a backward kick, sending Fox sprawling. Hawkins dropped on top of him, placing one knee on each of Fox's arms.

"Kill." Hawkins voice was very calm and quiet as he let Fox up, offering him a hand. Fox accepted it and Hawkins tugged him to his feet.

"You just got lucky, round two?" Hawkins just nodded as Falco and Bill passed around winnings, Bill looking smug and Falco pouting.

"Alright, I bet you that Fox loses this round." Bill smiled as Falco rejoined him, almost right next to Krystal and Mira.

"Alright Falco, I got sixty that says Hawkins loses this one." They shook hands as Krystal leaned toward them.

"I bet four hundred that Fox wins this one." Bill's jaw dropped as Falco spoke.

"Alright, you're on Krystal!" Fox and Hawkins assumed their positions again, but this time, Hawkins matched Fox's, rather than the relaxed position he had been in. Fox nodded and the two of them lunged at each other. She could barely keep up as the two of them traded salvos of swings, all being deflected and blocked. Fox suddenly leapt into the air again, crouching and spinning as he hit the ground. His foot swiped at Hawkins legs. Hawkins barely managed to leap away, tumbling to his feet as he hit the ground. Fox was already moving to attack again as Hawkins swung his arm wide. His forearm slammed into Fox's chest, slamming him onto his back. Hawkins dropped on top of him again, only to land on fox's curled legs. Fox sent Hawkins sprawling as he extended his legs. They both leapt to their feet slowly circling each other.

"Getting faster, eh Foxie?" Fox glared at him, the faintest trace of a smile at the edges of his mouth. Both of them were sweating exuberant amounts as they panted.

"Oh, you want fast? Alright, you got fast!" Fox darted forward, sprinting just to Hawkins right. Just as he was about to reach him, he darted across Hawkins, dodging the right jab Hawkins had launched. Hawkins barely dodged the hook that moved with it, only to be caught by a left hook as Fox darted back across. Hawkins staggered, as Fox stopped and spun, dropping into a crouch and slinging his right foot into Hawkins shins. He toppled to the floor as Fox continued to spin and stood, lashing out with his foot as he came upright. Hawkins was sent rolling away as Fox dived at him. She could feel Hawkins jolt of pain at the kick as Fox and him tumbled across the mat. The two of them came to a stop, Fox on top, his fore arm pressed against Hawkins throat. He patted Fox's side three times, signaling him giving up. Fox jumped up, offering his hand to Hawkins. He accepted it as Falco let out a stream of profanities. `

"How the hell did you know Fox was gonna win that one Krystal!?" she chuckled as she waved him away, grabbing a pair of training staffs off the wall.

"Cause I know Fox. He always bounces back. Here, catch!" she tossed the training staffs to Fox, who passed one to Hawkins. Fox grinned as he twirled the weapon gracefully, bringing it to a sudden stop pressed up against his back, his empty left hand beckoning Hawkins forward. Hawkins gently bounced the staff in his hand, testing its weight. He suddenly slid his hand down the staff, griping it with his left above his right. His feet mirrored this, his left closer to Fox than his right.

"Alright Will, let's see what you got!" Fox lunged forward, swinging the staff out in a wide arc, letting his hand slip to the end of the weapon. Hawkins stepped forward, bringing his staff vertical and blocking the strike close to Fox's grip on his weapon. Fox was knocked off balance and Hawkins swung his staff at Fox's gut. Fox barely managed to dodge it and brought his staff into a defensive stance just in time to block Hawkins rapid follow up attack. Krystal shifted slightly as they ended up locked together. Fox shoved him back and started a flurry of rapid attacks. Hawkins managed to deflect them all, and caught Fox's leg with his staff as Fox kicked at him. Hawkins shoved upward with the staff, and would've sent Fox onto his back if he hadn't transferred into a backwards summersault.

"Damn, Hawkins isn't half bad with that staff." Mira had leaned closer to Krystal as she spoke. Krystal smirked as Fox deflected one of Hawkins attacks. At the next one, Fox made the tip of his staff make small circles in the air. As soon as Hawkins staff connected with Fox's, Fox rapidly widened the circle, sending Hawkins weapon flying out of his grip. Fox jabbed the staff at Hawkins, who stepped aside and snaked his arm around it. Hawkins shoved it back toward Fox just as Fox tried to tug the weapon out of his hands. Fox stumbled as Hawkins yanked the weapon out of his hands, whipped it around and slammed it into Fox's thigh. He crumpled to the floor as Hawkins brought the point to Fox's face.

"Not as good with the staff, are ya?" Fox smirked as Hawkins pulled him to his feet.

"Where the hell did you learn to fight with a staff?" Hawkins swiftly and gracefully spun the staff in his hand as he spoke.

"Mixture between training with the army, and a friend who was in the color guard." Fox shook his head as he scooped the discarded staff off the mat. Krystal narrowly avoided getting hit as he tossed it to her.

"Here Krystal, show him how a master fights." She grinned as she twirled the staff, resting it on her shoulder blades, arms wrapped over it.

"Alright, I'll go easy on the lady." Krystal grunted as he spoke and grinned.

"Be ready to get your ass kicked then." The same second that she finished the statement, she swung the weapon off her shoulders, extending it out as if it was a sword. Hawkins managed to deflect the weapon as she started her own rapid flurry of attacks. Her grip on the weapon constantly changed as she attacked. She suddenly stumbled as he lashed out with a fist, catching her arm. Before he could react, she was already swiping his legs out from under him with her staff. He was flattened as she jumped into the air, seeming to be propping herself up with the staff, just before kicking it out from under her and rotating, slamming the weapon down on Hawkins. Hawkins had barely been able to bring the staff up, blocking the blow with a resounding crack that made the whole room wince. She felt her legs suddenly shoot out from under her as he used his legs like a pair of scissors. Her own staff launched out of her hands as he snapped his own up. She felt the tip of Hawkins staff as she rolled away and up to her feet. Hawkins jabbed at her and she stepped to the side, jabbing her fist into his chest. He quickly swung his staff in a wide arc toward her. She jumped and rolled over the weapon, landing in a crouch. Her staff was lying just behind him. She spun on her hand, swiping his legs out from under him. She then leapt over him, grabbing her staff and cartwheeling to her feet. Hawkins was launching back onto his feet as she swung the weapon into his gut, spun it back around into the back of his knee, then kicked it up over her head, bringing it down right beside his neck.

"Told you so Hawkins!" he returned her grin and accepted her hand up. They placed the weapons back on the rack as Mira and Fox rejoined them

"Wow Krystal. Where the hell did you learn to fight like that?" her smile broadened at Hawkins praise.

"I have been fighting with a staff for most of my life. I had never even picked up a blaster before four years ago, when I joined the star fox team." he clapped her shoulder before leaving the room. Mira followed, hollering her good bye back to them.

"You're getting faster Krystal." She shook her head at Fox as he spoke. He was tugging his jacket back on as she responded.

"No, I just go easy on you Fox." He glared at her as the two of them marched out of the training room.

"Wow, just make me feel useful, thanks. Well, we have a weekend to plan. Our room?" she smiled as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.


	7. Chapter 7: Unknown Contact

I slowly settled into my desk chair, rubbing my aching side. Fox's kick had left a very large, nasty bruise on my rib cage. It still ached almost three days later. Mira's voice made me jump and I turned to face her. She was stretching out on her bed, almost like a cat waking from a nap.

"So what are you going to do when we get to Corneria?" I turned back to my desk and picked up the small model Arwing, looking it over.

"Stop by my apartment, grab the stuff I missed. I'm paid through the end of the month so." I shrugged as I looked at the tiny print under the canopy. _James Marshall._ It was an exact replica of my old wing man's stunt fighter.

"What all are you grabbing?" I shrugged as I set the model down on the desk.

"Rest of my clothes, some tools. A picture, plus I gotta hit a storage unit. Ammo, Arwing parts, tools. Nothing real special. Gotta ask a friend to sell my old furniture. I don't think I'm going to need it." I heard movement behind me as Mira moved to beside me.

"Why didn't you already have your stuff sold?" I glanced at her before spinning the chair to face her.

"Because I didn't know if I was going to stay with this outfit. Only gave Fox my resume because someone else had already recommended me to him." She cocked her head at me, her tail flicking behind her.

"Did you think you wouldn't be good enough?" I shook my head as she sat down at her desk.

"Not really. What are you planning on doing?" she seemed to shrivel as she spoke, reaching onto her desk and grabbing one of the cravings.

"Meeting with someone who wants to reconnect. He's going to be in Corneria city for a few weeks for a some entrance exams." I caught enough of a glimpse of it to know which it was.

"Let me guess, old romantic interest?" she shriveled up even more and her ears flattened on her head.

"Um, ex-boyfriend actually. We only broke up because of my parents deaths." She looked away, staring at the floor. A single tear slid down her cheek.

"You wish you two were still together don't you?" she nodded, wiping the tear away as she looked up at me.

"He's going to the Cornerian Flight academy right now. He is applying for command school as we speak." I was about to respond when a Klaxon alarm sounded, an amber light filling the room.

"All pilots, report to the bridge immediately, repeat…" I grabbed my flight harness and helmet and sprinted out of the room, Mira hot on my tail.

()

Mira rushed onto the bridge, right behind Hawkins. The rest of the flight team was already in there, and Fox was talking with general Pepper.

"Now that you're all here, we have an unknown contact at the edge of our defense radar. The Great Fox has the closest intercept, so I'm asking you to investigate. The ship is not scheduled and not transmitting any IFF signature." Pepper stopped while he coughed. "I'm sending you our LADAR scan now. Pepper out." The room stayed dark as an image of a long rectangular ship appeared on the screen. The front was tapered into a point, while the rear bulged out. There were three massive bumps along the hull of the ship, two above and one below. Hawkins almost instantly spoke.

"That's an escort carrier, United Earth Coalition design. Recent one too. Has a central line tungsten core plasma rail cannon. Three defensive cannons for anti-fighter defense, can carry two squadrons of fighters, one ready to deploy, one takes three minutes. By the schematics I've seen, this thing could do a lot of damage to the great fox." He stepped up to the screen as he spoke, bringing up a 3D image of the ship, right next to the polygon model.

"Alright, what do you recommend then?" he stepped away from the screen as he spoke.

"Fighters disable the main cannon, Fox blows it to hell. Simple." He spoke as if it was as easy as a walk in the park. Fox stroked his chin as he stared at the screen. He stepped up to the front of the group as he spoke.

"Alright, I want Falco, Hawkins, Mira, and myself to fly out and meet them. Krystal, keep the others prepped for _if_ we call. We go with Hawkins plan if they become hostile. Star Fox, Move out!" Krystal seemed almost sour as Fox spoke. She shuffled out with the rest of the group and stopped as she heard Krystal's angry voice.

"Fox! Why are you putting me on reserve again! There's no point holding me back on this one, especially given you could be up against two squads of trained pilots! So why are you leaving me here?!" fox audibly sighed as she spoke.

"Krystal, I don't want to seem like we're intending to attack. The ship could have a mechanical failure. Quit freaking out over nothing." She saw Fox's foot about to step off the bridge, just before it spun back into the room.

"Fox, it isn't nothing and you know it!" he suddenly burst into the hall, glaring at Mira. "What are you looking at? Get moving!" she nodded and rushed to the closest elevator. Before she knew it, she was in her fighter, powering it up.

"Comm check, am I coming through loud and clear?" she absently nodded as she spoke.

"Yeah, you are." She finished her pre-flight checks as Fox spoke over the radio.

"All ships launch!" Mira lifted her fighter off the deck and followed Hawkins out of the hanger. Minutes seemed to drag by as they ripped through empty space. A contact appeared on her radar, just seconds before Fox spoke again. "This is the Star Fox team hailing unidentified vessel in sector twelve. Identify yourself or be fired upon." Seconds dragged by before Hawkins finally spoke.

"Their deploying fighters. One squadron. Interceptor class, looks like Tomcats!" Tomcats were the human counter for the Arwing. They had two powerful engines, placed far apart from each other and two G-diffuser's that stuck out horizontally, folding back when the ship accelerated and folding out when the ship decelerated. The twelve fighters arced out and away from the ship, headed straight for their formation. Falco's voice filled the air waves as they drew closer.

"Hey, this looks like fun. Three on one. Perfect odds!" her gut tightened into a knot as Hawkins spoke to her.

"Mira, stay on my tail. Until I tell you to break off, then go after the first fighter you can. Chase him down and don't worry about the others. If you get one on your six, tell me. And keep after the one your chasing." She glanced across space at him as he spoke.

"Are you insane!? Do you want me dead!?" he laughed over the radio.

"Just trust me." The distance between the two groups closed. They passed into firing range and red plasma shots lanced by. She juked and dodged, following Hawkins as he pulled up and away from their formation, not going head to head on them. As soon as his nose was pointing ninety degrees from their original path, he killed his engines and kept pitching over. The enemy fighters shot passed, narrowly missing as he shot after them. "Now Mira!" she peeled off of him and opened fire on one of the fighters it juked and weaved, trying to dodge her fire. A few linked blasts connected and the ship exploded. She angled after another and two of the fighters dropped onto her tail.

"Hawkins, I got two of em on me!" she didn't catch his response as she juked and rolled, trying to avoid fire while still shooting at her target. Hawkins's Arwing shot past her's, just feet away. One of the blips behind her disappeared and the other veered away. Hawkins shot after it as she banked and dove to follow her own.

"Alright, we got two left to handle. Take em down Mira!" the blip he had been chasing was gone as he veered after the other remaining fighter. She shoved her foot down on the port rudder and fired a linked blast before putting her foot on the other rudder, swinging nose her back and firing a stream of unlinked plasma. The fighter juked to dodge the linked blast, only to be caught in the stream of fire. The ship lazily drifted apart as she pitched back toward Hawkins. A third Arwing flew in from in front of Hawkins and blew the last fighter apart. Fox's voice rang across the comms a split second later.

"All clear, advance on that ship and disable the weapons. Gonna have to fly close to get under their shielding." She formed back up on Hawkins and they rocketed toward the carrier. The ship was close to two hundred meters long and its rectangular body seemed strange compared to what Mira was used to seeing. Hawkins started juking around as the turrets began firing. She followed suit, trying to dodge their fire the best she could. Her craft shuddered as one of the thick globs glanced off her shields, knocking them out.

"My shields are down!" her cry went unanswered as they crossed over the hull of the ship. Hawkins looped toward the front of the ship, riding along the hull until he was close to the nose. His engines shut down, but instead of the G-diffuser's stopping his momentum, he kept drifting as the fighter flipped over. She fired bursts at the hull as he dumb fired a pair of missiles down the ships gun barrel. Both detonated deeper in the ship, ruining the weapon. She struggled to catch up to him as his engines relit. Fox and Falco had taken all but one of the cannons out as she arced around, stopping at the engines and blasting them apart. Two sets of green lights shot out of the starboard hangers and she squinted at them until Hawkins spoke.

"Oh shit, those are Raptors! Dominance class fighters, made to annihilate any fighter it comes across! Those should still be in prototype!" she shot off after one as Fox spoke.

"Fox to Great Fox, ships weapons disabled. She's all yours." She toke a second to study the fighter she was chasing. All she could see were six green bars, looking strangely like Fox or Falco's G-diffusers. The bars seemed to shift and move as the fighter juked in ways she would've never thought possible. She heard Falco shout over the radio as she fired blast after blast at the ship, most reflecting off shielding or flat out missing.

"Fox, you got one your tail!" Hawkins's voice followed as one of the blips disappeared.

"Not anymore! One down three to go!" the craft in front of her suddenly stopped on a dime and she shot past. Slivery blue bolts ripped past and one connected, knocking what little charge had built back up in her shields. Another shot ripped into her fuselage in front of her and her fighter spun out of control as another hit her starboard G-diffuser.

"I'm hit! I've lost control!" Her view spun and she had trouble tracking the Arwing in front of her. A white streak shot away from it and passed behind her. Chunks of fighter drifted past as she finally stopped the spin. She could just barely see the Great fox out in front of her. Two green bolts ripped across space and a bright white flash filled space.

"All ships, report in?" Fox's voice was patchy over the radio. She waited as Falco and Hawkins reported in as green, no bogeys.

"I lost my starboard diffuser. I think the wing went with it. Toke a nasty hit on my nose too!" Fox cursed over the radio as Hawkins's fighter drifted up to her.

"Just hold on there, ill tow you home. It's my fault I abandoned you to help fox." She watched as he gently clamped his cargo ramp on her fuselage and gently pushed her fighter back to the Great fox. The hanger was devoid of gravity, allowing him to gently set her fighter down before landing himself. She cursed as gravity returned and she climbed out. The nose of her fighter had a large gouge taken out of it, and everything to the right of the cockpit was gone.

"Damn it!" she kicked at the ship as she cursed. Hawkins's voice behind her startled her.

"I'll help you fix your ship. It's my fault you got nailed." He was inspecting the damage as he spoke.

"No, it's my fault, I shouldn't even be here! I can't fly worth anything!" he looked at her with an expression of pity as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You did great Mira! Tomcats are comparable to Arwings in almost every way except shielding. And you killed two of them while flying as a distraction! And Raptors are considered one of the best fighters in the galaxy! And you stayed on one's tail and dropped its shields! We're lucky only one ship was damaged against those things. Don't blame yourself Mira. You did good." A warmth started to fill her heart as he spoke.

"Do you really think so?" he nodded as Fox marched over, his HUD rig in the crook of his arm.

"Hey Mira, don't feel bad about getting hit out there. You did good. Hawkins, you need to do a better job at sticking with your wing mate. You almost got her killed." He nodded as he put one of the panels back on her fighter.

"I know. And I can get this fighter back up in a day or two, upgrade it a lot too." Fox nodded and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Well, save it for tomorrow. Get some sleep you two." They both nodded and stepped out of the hanger. She couldn't look at him as they rode the elevator.

"Look, Hawkins, I'm really sorry you got paired with me." He glared at her as he spoke.

"Don't talk like that. You are a good pilot. A little rough around the edges but you just need a few battles under your belt. And I don't want anyone else as a wing men. Understood?" she nodded as they stepped out and marched into their room. He toke the bathroom so she could change clothes and she was already curled up in her bed when he came out. He stared at her as if he wanted to say something before dropping into his own bunk. She felt herself slowly slip into a restless sleep as images of their battle flooded her dreams.


	8. Chapter 8: Civilian Priority

Krystal shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable. Every muscle in her body seemed like it was made of concrete. Her eyes were still damp from crying earlier that day. The door opened and she glanced up to see Fox stepping in. she sat up as soon as she saw him, pulling the sheets up to cover her bare chest.

"Krystal, we have a problem. I pulled Hawkins out of bed to get his thoughts, but we think that ship was not rouge or pirates. We think the United Earth Coalition sent it to scout our defenses. It was close enough for LADAR scans." He didn't seem to want to look her in the eye as he spoke.

"So you're saying war is going to ensue?" Fox nodded as he stood, leaning up against their desk, facing away from her.

"Krystal, I'm sorry about earlier. Yes, I have been holding you back. Because I'm scared of losing you." He still wouldn't look at her.

"Oh Fox, it's okay. I understand. Every time you go out there, I'm scared you won't come back." he nodded as he finally moved away from the desk. He stripped out of his flight suit before sitting on the bed. He didn't try to relax as he sat there.

"It could've been you out there today. It could've been you that nearly lost their life. The blast to Mira's fuselage was only a couple of feet from the canopy." His shoulders were slumped as he sat there.

"Hey don't think like that. If I was out there, we don't know what could have happened. We all make different choices. You need to sleep." She placed a hand on his shoulder and his own gripped it for a second.

"Yeah, your right. Good night Krystal." He slipped under the covers and was asleep in minutes.

"Good night Fox." She smiled slightly before laying back down and letting herself fall asleep. Images that weren't of her mind drifted in. _blue plasma crossing the air. Sand bags piled into a wall. People all around, with a sense of comradery. Frantic radio calls with no response. Blood all over hands. A pair of shiny dog tags, dripping with blood. _She shot awake, the sudden force of her sitting up shaking Fox awake.

"Krystal? What's wrong?" she sat there, simply trying to catch her breath. Once she managed to calm it, she spoke, even though her entire body was still shaking.

"Nightmare. Not my own." Fox shifted over to sit in front of her as he spoke, a worried expression on his face.

"That medicine your taking isn't working then?" she shook her head.

"It is. I don't dream, but I still can experience other people's dreams." Fox placed a hand on her shoulder as he spoke.

"Then go talk to Rob again. Ok?" she smiled slightly as she responded.

"Oh, I've known since I started the medicine. I just didn't want to tell you because your dreams are just too interesting." He glared at her, the faintest trace of a smile at the edge of his lips.

"Ok, what was the dream?" she sat for a second, thinking back to the weak memories.

"Well, I know it was a battlefield, fairly large. Someone, was calling for help maybe? I don't know, but they didn't get a response. There was blood everywhere and a deep sense of loss? I don't know. I only saw a few images. I know the images struck memories for whoever it was." Fox pulled her into a hug as they sat together.

"Was it on the ground?" she nodded and he continued. "Do you know who was fighting?" she sat for a second as she concentrated for a second.

"There was a pair of metal tags. Covered in blood." Fox nodded as he spoke.

"Hawkins. The CDF stopped using physical tags almost a century ago. The UEC still uses their old dog tag system with implants." She nodded as they sat there in silence. Her body slowly settled down and she finally spoke.

"What time is it?" he glanced over behind them at one of the nightstands.

"Almost five in the morning. We might as well get up." She nodded as they both stood. She was busy pulling on her clothes when she felt a sudden burst of agony, not at all her own. Fox was standing over her as her eyes slowly opened. He helped her stand back up, instantly speaking. "What the hell was that!" she shook her head slightly, trying to clear her head.

"Someone is in a lot of pain. I can't get it out of my head!" a red klaxon alarm suddenly went off. They glanced at each other before quickly finishing dressing.

()

I sprinted onto the command bridge, followed closely by Mira. We were both fully dressed, given she had awoken when I had startled awake. I slid to a stop inside as a harsh voice came out of the speakers.

"The attack started just a few minutes ago." The screen showed a saggy faced blood hound in a red formal uniform. One of his arms was in a sling. I assumed it was general Pepper. I knew he had been permanently injured during the Aparoid menace. Fox and Krystal rushed in, the only other two that seemed to be dressed. "Thirty UEC vessels dropped out of warp and opened fire on the city of Cicero. Damage is currently unknown, and most of the fleet is out on patrol. Star Fox, we need your support." Fox was instantly speaking.

"So that was a human scout. Alright Falco, Katt, Krystal, let's get out there. Bill, you are in charge of the ship. Hawkins, take Lucy out and guard the ship in your Arwings!" Fox moved to sprint out the door as I stepped up to the monitor.

"Fox, wait, their ships are jumping out." Fox skidded to a stop as he spun.

"What!?" he trotted to where I was standing as I watched the RADAR screen. The ships angled away from the planet and started disappearing one by one. Pepper came back on the screen.

"The enemy fleet just retreated. We have personnel moving in to assess the situation now but, early reports say massive numbers of civilian casualties. Transmitting orbital imagery now." I watched in horror as image after image rolled in, showing massive blast craters and collapsed buildings. The view changed to an over flight view from a fighter craft. The entire city seemed to be on fire, and only a hand full of buildings were still standing. A blind rage started to take over me as I saw the total carnage done to the city.

"Oh my god, what have they done?" Mira's voice was no more than a whisper. I turned to the smaller image of general Pepper as I spoke.

"I damn well hope we are going after these bastards." Everyone on the bridge glanced at me, shocked. Pepper's voice filled the bridge.

"You're human. And you want to kill humans?" I almost shouted at him.

"Damn right I do! How many innocent people did they just murder down there?!" the bridge fell silent as we stood there. Pepper's voice returned as new images appeared.

"I know you want to go after the UEC, but we need to free up our forces. Too many ships are tasked with escorting freighters and ships through pirate infested space. I need the Star fox team to start clearing them out while we recall the fleet." Images of snow planet appeared on the screen. Krystal seemed to be the only one able to find her voice.

"Is this Fachina?" the view zoomed in on one of the polar caps as she spoke.

"We need this gone. This base is able to hit any supply lines to Katina, Fortuna, and most of the outer planets. Now we aren't entirely sure where the base is, only that it is on or in the polar ice cap. I'm am sending you all of the data we have." Fox nodded as he spoke.

"We're on it general. Peppy, rob, get us there." The transmission cut off and the ship vibrated as the engines went to full power.

"Fachina is almost a week's trip from here. You all better get food in ya, and get gear up and running." We all nodded as one and people slowly trickled out. I moved up to the main screen and started flicking through the images again. Mira's voice startled me.

"Hey, come on. We should go get some food." She smiled slightly and I shut the screen off. Fox Krystal and Falco stayed on the bridge, clearly planning the mission out. I followed her through the halls and into the cafeteria. She led the way up to the food line, then to a table roughly in the center of the room. I felt nervous sitting there and I could tell that some of the Cornerians were whispering about me. Her voice startled me as she spoke. "So what do you think of Cornerian food?"

"It isn't too bad. Most of the same flavors but the eggs are thicker. And green." She laughed as she ate a bite of her food.

"So you didn't really say what that nightmare was about last night." I nearly choked on the food as she spoke.

"Well, I said I didn't want to talk about. Alright?" she nodded and we ate in silence for a few minutes.

"Hawkins, why would the UEC target civilians?" I shrugged as I responded.

"I really don't know. When I was with them, we went to insane measures to protect civilian lives." She nodded just before a tray was set down beside Mira and I glanced up to see Krystal sliding onto the bench.

"Hey Hawkins, can I talk to you?" I nodded and she continued. "Did you have a nightmare last night?" I glared at her as I responded.

"I thought I made it clear that I want you to stay out of my head." She grimaced as she continued.

"I know, but I can't control it when I'm asleep." Mira began giggling furiously and we both stared at her for a second.

"I'm sorry, just made me remember that night what two weeks ago?" Krystal groaned and her head fell into her hands.

"Alright what happened?" Mira kept giggling as Krystal spoke.

"Let's just say the dream thing can run both ways. And I had a, um, personal dream." Mira was barely able to speak as she held back laughing.

"There were candle lit bed rooms involved." I shook my head as she laughed hysterically.

"Shut up Mira. Anyway, seemed more like memories than a true nightmare Hawkins." I stared down at my food as I spoke.

"My platoon got pinned down on Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons. We called for air support but command denied it. Lost almost everyone down there. They marked me down as being 'psychologically unable to continue in the military'. Slapped a medical discharge on me and that was the end of my career." Mira had stopped laughing and was listening intently.

"I'm sorry." We sat in silence for a few seconds until Krystal's voice popped into my head.

_There's more to it than that, isn't there?_ My hand instinctively reached up to my shirt and gripped the old dog tags under my shirt. I glanced back at her as I thought.

_Yes. But it's not something I'm telling you about._ She nodded almost imperceptibly and stood up.

"Well, I'm going to rejoin Fox. Bye." She trotted off as we finished our food. The trays were dumped into the tray chute and we marched into the hanger I glanced at Mira for a second.

"Following me now?" she smirked at me before she spoke.

"Well, I kinda have a fighter to fix." She smiled at me and I rolled my eyes at her. We marched over to her fighter to find a short, plump, toad like creature already finishing off the repair of the nose. The damaged parts of her starboard G-diffuser had already been removed.

"Oh hey Slippy!" my voice rang out before I could stop it. He set his tool down and faced me. His blue hued uniform was coated in hydraulic fluid stains.

"Hey, I heard about a damaged Arwing, couldn't resist going and working on it. Machines just seem to talk to me." He grinned slightly and I glanced at Mira, trying to hold back from laughing. Something about him just seemed to make me want to laugh at him.

"Well, thanks Slippy. Hawkins said he could upgrade it a little too." She shot a glare past me as I picked up tools and started pulling the armor above the reactor. I pulled it and started rearranging the way it was set up as Slippy installed the new g-diffuser and wing. I stopped working to wipe sweat off my forehead and Fox's voice came across the intercom.

"Reports are coming in about Cicero City. Ninety percent of the population is dead. Seven million people lived in that city. My condolences go to anyone with family or friends there." I felt the eyes of every person in the hanger staring nervously at me, as if I was suddenly going to attack. I sighed as I lowered the reactor back into the fighter and reconnected it to the system. Slippy glanced up at me as he spoke.

"Hawkins, I have to ask, are you staying with us? Or are you returning to the UEC." I stared at him for a second before I spoke.

"Seven million people are dead back there. And the UEC did that. What do you think?" he nodded as Mira spoke.

"He is staying with us. Otherwise, he wouldn't have saved my life yesterday. And you didn't hear what he said on the bridge." She was glaring at Slippy, almost as if she was daring him to question her wing mate. The fighter hummed to life underneath me as I fired it up.


	9. Chapter 9: Ghosts of the Past

Fox stepped into the briefing room almost instantly starting up the holo projector. They were only a day out, but Fox was too nervous to not try to get information. He punched in a call to General Pepper and it was almost immediately answered.

"Ah, Fox, good to see you." Fox smiled as he spoke.

"Like wise, General. Just Want to know the situation out there." Pepper nodded as he scratched at his elbow. Fox knew the sling bothered him, but the Aparoid infection had permanently damaged nerves

"About half the fleet has been recalled. And our ambassador is on his way with a formal declaration of war. All quiet for the moment though." Fox nodded absently, not really knowing what to say. "Reports are done on Cicero. The coastline may take decades to recover from the plasma bombardment. Almost three quarters of the survivors have perished from injuries. Search teams are still digging through the buildings, trying to find bodies." Fox glanced down as the console beeped, showing it had received the files.

"Alright. I'll inform you when the job's done. Fox out." Pepper nodded as the image disappeared. Fox yawned as he walked out of the room and toward the elevator. He slipped into the room and changed clothes before he flopped down onto his bed. The door opened again to let Krystal in. He sat up as she sat down at their desk.

"Hey Fox, did you talk to pepper?" he absently nodded as he spoke, not really looking at her.

"Yeah. None of it any good." She nodded and went quiet for a minute. The silence stretched between them and Fox got the feeling something was wrong. "You alright Krystal?" she didn't move as she spoke.

"Yeah just I'm worried about Mira and Hawkins. They both are hurting, whether they show it or not." He looked at her puzzled for a second.

"Krystal, they both seem fine. Well, he's a little reckless, and she doubts herself but, they'll work through that with time." she glared at him for a second.

"Are you really that thick Fox? Mira has been having trouble since she came on board. I'm not even sure how you accepted her. And her doubting herself only makes it worse. And Hawkins just about killed himself back on Fortuna. And that doesn't concern you? Both of them have nearly died already." He sat up, still just as confused.

"You remember what Mira's parents did, if she's even half as good as them, she'll be fine with us. And Hawkins, well he's a soldier, he understands that sacrifice is sometimes necessary." She continued to glare at him.

"Seriously Fox? You're acting like I think the recklessness or the doubting is the problem. Their just symptoms. Mira lost her parents three years ago. I asked her a lot about her past and all of these doubt issues, started then. She was seeing a shrink for it. And Hawkins was medically discharged because a mental problem. He has no value for his own life, and it comes out as recklessness! I don't see why you aren't worried." Silence stretched between them as thoughts ran through Fox's mind.

"I think I see what you mean. But there's nothing we can do but keep an eye on them." Krystal nodded, and her voice was quiet as she spoke.

"Fox, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you." He slipped out of bed and crouched in front of her.

"It's alright. I keep comparing them to me and it just doesn't work. I'll never understand them. That's part of why you're here." He smiled at her, putting a hand on one of her shoulders.

"Fox, you should be able to understand Mira at least a little bit. You lost your parents, just like her." Fox shook his head as he stood and started pacing.

"No. I never met my mother. And dad, I was almost twenty years old when he went missing. And, well, I'm not entirely sure he's gone. Her parents, she knows their dead. She has medals they were awarded. And she was still a teenager when it happened. It's not even similar." Krystal looked puzzled as Fox spoke. She spoke slowly, as if she was choosing her words carefully.

"What do you mean, you aren't entirely sure James is gone?" Fox stayed quiet as he paced back and forth. It toke him several minutes until he finally spoke.

"Well, eleven years ago, after I had defeated Andross. He, well, he was there. He guided me out of Andross's base. I wouldn't have made it out if he hadn't. And I don't know, I feel him sometimes. Up against the Aparoid queen, or general Scales on Sauria. Like when you enter my thoughts." She glanced at him, completely confused.

"What? Why haven't you told me this before?" he shrugged as he finally sat back down.

"Well, it does sound kinda crazy, doesn't it?" she laughed, confusing Fox even more.

"Not that crazy. Do you not remember who was pulling the strings on Sauria? I don't think you were seeing things. And I think he is watching over you." Fox smiled as she spoke, realizing just how silly it was to have not mentioned this to her before now.

"Well, I'm going to sleep, good night Krystal." He fell back on the bed as she spoke.

"Good night Fox. I just have to finish a few things." he smiled as he let himself drift off to sleep.

()

I stood behind Mira, where she had slumped asleep on her desk. She didn't respond to my quiet call, so I gently shook her.

"Mira." She stirred a little before yawning and stretching. The movement reminded me so much of a cat that I almost laughed.

"Oh hey Will. Sorry, must've dozed off." I sat down at my desk chair across from her as I spoke.

"It's alright. I've been wanting to ask you, if it's alright, but what were your parents like?" pain flashed across her face as I spoke. She toke a lot longer then I would've thought to speak.

"They were great people. Met as fighter pilots with the CDF. Mom left to raise me and dad stayed in. but, at every major conflict, mom re-enlisted. Dad looked a lot like Fox. Didn't have the white Mohawk looking thing, and his fur was more red but. People say I got his tail and eyes. Mom was well, she was more slender?" I cut in as she was speaking.

"More cat like." She smiled and nodded as she continued.

"Yes, more cat like. Anyway, she signed back up three and a half years ago. They were part of the fleet that went after the Aparoids. Peppy is the one who told me this but, they died covering the Great Fox as it tried to support Fox and them. Mom went first. Piece of another defense Arwing punched through her canopy. Dad, he wouldn't directly say, but he was taken by the Aparoids. Died with them." I nodded, feeling horrible for asking her now that I knew that.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Tears were forming in her eyes as she spoke.

"No, it's alright Will." My eyes dropped to the floor as I asked her another question.

"How old were you?" she didn't hesitate at all to answer. In some ways, she seemed almost eager too.

"Fifteen. Anyway, what about you?" I smirked at her, glad that she had changed the subject.

"My mother was killed when I was six months old. Islamic terrorist cell. Almost all of them banded together, with a few non-Muslim extremists, to form a group called Mohammad's army. Anyway, dad, well he wasn't around much. He was a pilot when he married mom. One of the best. He slowly rose through the ranks. He was actually at first contact. Part of the fleet that engaged the three Cornerian destroyers above mars." She glanced up at me, almost as if she was asking what had happened. "A colony ship arrived at Fortuna. CDF mistook it for an Andross Remnant troopship, and destroyed it. Sent three ships to see where it came from. Anyway, now he is Rear Admiral Hawkins. Commands the entire earth defense fleet. Three hundred ships. We haven't talked in years though." She looked at me, puzzled.

"Why not?" I got up and started pacing up and down the room.

"Well, he groomed me to be a pilot. Bought me a civilianized F-93 Trident. Taught me to fly. And I went off and joined the army Rangers. Well, let's just say he would've only been proud of a navy son. Haven't talked in three years." She stood up and stopped my pacing, pulling me into a hug to do so.

"I'm sorry. I am curious though, what are the rangers?" I chuckled slightly as I pulled out of the hug.

"Well, every nation in the UEC has its own military. My dad is one of the few pilots left to have fought an interplanetary national fight. Anyway, the Rangers are heavy infantry. When an infantry company can't do it, you send a platoon of Rangers. And the U.S. military has the most advanced military." She nodded as we both sat back down. She grabbed the picture off her desk and passed it to me. It was unmistakably her parents standing with a younger version of herself.

"Anyway, that's my parents. That was taken just before mom went back to basic training. She laughed about it getting easier each time." There was a small smile on her face as a single tear traced a dark line in her fur.

"They sound like good people." She nodded as I handed the picture back. More tears slid down her face as she set the photo back down on the desk. I absently pulled the dog tags out of my shirt and turned them over in my hand. One of them still had small traces of blood on it.

"What are those?" her voice was weak as she spoke.

"Dog tags. Humans issue them to every soldier. Was originally for identifying bodies, but now it's more just a tradition. One pair is mine, the other belonged to a, well, a friend. Died on Ganymede." She nodded as silence stretched between us. "Anyway, you look exhausted. Why don't you go to bed?" she nodded as she stood up and yawned again.

"You should too. Good night Will." I absently smiled as I responded to her.

"Good night Mira. And I hope you sleep well. I'll try to not wake you again." She returned the smile as she slipped into the bathroom to change. I slipped out of the room and wandered the ship. I found myself on the bridge, staring out at the strange colors caused by Faster than Light travel. I pulled the dog tags out and stared at the name on them, feeling tears welling up in my eyes.

_Rest in peace, Amanda Taylor._


	10. Chapter 10: Deep Impacts

Mira slowly awoke, glancing over at Hawkins's empty bed. She sighed as she sat up and rolled off the bed. This was the fourth time in the past week since the fight at the asteroid that he had stayed awake, wandering the ship at night. She quickly dressed and set out to find him. She almost ran into Krystal as she stepped into the elevator.

"Oh, hey Mira. Where are you off to in such a hurry?" she was smiling at Mira as she spoke.

"The bridge. Looking for Hawkins. He was up wandering the ship again last night." Krystal laughed as the elevator toke them up to the top deck.

"Well, he does tend to do that alot. Fox wants me to help him plan the mission on Fachina. Rob says we are only a few hours out." The door opened and the two of them stepped out together.

"Are Hawkins and him going groundside again?" Krystal nodded as they stopped in front of the briefing room door.

"Well, technically, we all are. Splitting into two man teams to find their base. Each deploying to a different sight. Once found, the Great Fox will paste it from orbit. We hope." Krystal winked at Mira as she tried to hide her fear. She had never even thought she might do any fighting outside of her Arwing. She waved to Krystal before continuing to the front of the ship. She stepped onto the bridge, instantly seeing Peppy, Rob, and Bill all chatting with each other, Peppy and Billy sipping cups of coffee.

"Oh hey Mira." Bill had always been friendly with her. She had learned a lot about him and fox's past, training together at the Cornerian flight academy, even old jokes from their school days. He had been a squadron commander until six months prior, when Fox asked him to command the second flight on the Star Fox team.

"Hey Bill. Seen Hawkins lately?" he shook his head as he spoke.

"No." Peppy spoke up before bill could, drawing Mira's attention.

"Hawkins was in here this morning. He and Slippy went down to the galley to eat." She nodded and waved to all of them before half running down to the galley. She almost instantly spotted them in one of the corners. She had quickly learned that Hawkins liked having a solid wall behind him and a clear view of the room. She heard Slippy talking to him as she moved over there.

"And what you did with the shield capacitors, building them into the wings, making the envelope just a few inches off the hull, beautiful!" Hawkins smirked as he absently ate the mush on the plate in front of him.

"I just installed smaller and more numerous capacitors. Problem with Cornerian ships, is they only have four capacitors, and all are in the body, sending a shield around the body and leaving the wings vulnerable. Human fighters have around thirty spread around the ship. They are built to barely extend the shields past the hull, while still remaining strong. A shot that would just pass between the G-diffusers, will strike shields on an Arwing. Mine, just passes harmlessly by. I also doubled up the capacitors, so if one fails, a backup kicks in. helps keep the shields running under more extreme duress. Well, if I hadn't stolen half of them to upgrade Mira's fighter. Speak of the devil, hey Mira!" she returned his grin as she sat down.

"Hey Will, Slippy. Trouble sleeping?" she directed her words at Hawkins and he shifted slightly.

"Nah, just too bored. Can't sleep when I haven't done anything." There was something in his steel grey eyes that said that wasn't true. "Anyway, we were just talking about me and you're Arwings. Care to join?" she smiled as she spoke.

"Sure, just one question, you explained where you learned to fly, but where did you end up in an Arwing?" he shrugged as he spoke, and Slippy seemed riveted.

"Well, I came over to the Lylat system. Couldn't face my father after being discharged. Found this stunt group out of Corneria city. Joined up with them and they used me to cover their weakest pilot. He was good, but formation stuff just didn't agree with him. So he acted as the face, I was the skill. They were flying second gen's till about six months ago. I actually quit when they switched over, only did a few more shows so I could bring my Arwing up to battle ready status." Slippy cut in during his pause.

"Did you ever check the VIN on your Arwing?" Hawkins nodded as he spoke.

"Why?" Slippy shifted in his seat as if he was nervous.

"Well, some of the changes, were familiar to me. I ran the VIN in our systems, and it turns out that you bought one of our old Arwings." Both Mira and Hawkins stared at him, stunned.

"How?" Slippy grinned as he spoke.

"Well, I installed the control board that's in it. That wasn't a standard board, I built it myself from scrap. We traded all three of our Arwings for the third gens. Made it a lot cheaper for us. We only ever got the second gens because of their reliability. They are solid as bricks, even if they aren't as fast as the first or third gens." Hawkins was silent for a second while Mira stared at them in disbelief.

"Well, I can tell you they scrapped the other two. That trade in came up on its history, but they didn't show who had bought it or traded it. That's cool. By the way, I love the analogue interface. Always hated all this digital crap." Slippy almost cheered as he yelled.

"Yes! Fox _always_ hated it. Loves the holographic interface on his Third gen." Mira laughed slightly as she spoke.

"Well, I for one would love a digital interface in mine. Not holographic but." The two of them seemed to speak as one.

"We can do that." She laughed at their almost in sync voices. A fourth voice joined them and she almost jumped out of her seat.

"Hey guys, mind if I join ya?" She spun to see Bill setting a tray down on the other side of Slippy.

"Oh hey Bill, sure." Bill smirked as he spoke, his voice seeming to simply roll out of him.

"Hey guys." Hawkins spoke up before anyone else could.

"Hey Bill, what brings you down here?" he grinned as he sat down.

"Peppy had to go help Fox. So thought I'd join you young ones." He smiled as Slippy spoke.

"Well, we were just talking about a very strange occurrence dealing with Hawkins's Arwing." He looked quizzically at Hawkins. Hawkins spoke as Krystal sat down with the small group.

"Apparently, I have Fox's old Arwing." Krystal and Bill looked shocked for a second as Krystal spoke.

"Fox hasn't had a Second gen in almost four years? I thought they scrapped his when we traded them in?" Hawkins almost instantly spoke.

"They scrapped the other two. Not mine. Just stripped the weapons and sold it." Mira finally managed to say something before someone else did.

"You never did say why you left the stunt group? And I thought you were helping Fox?" Hawkins's face visibly dropped as Krystal shrugged.

"Got bored." Hawkins's voice was quiet as he spoke.

"One of the pilots died. My wingman. There was a factory fault in his G-Diffuser. Blew the starboard parts of his fighter off. One second, we were rocketing along at thirty feet, just inches from each other, next second, his fighter was a burning fireball thirty meters behind me. Only wingman that I was ever really good at working with." He was quiet and she felt her heart start to sink.

"I remember that air show. I had never seen one before and Fox took me to see it. He was still trying to figure out how to ask me out then. Anyway, you were a Corsair, weren't you!?" Hawkins nodded as he spoke to Krystal.

"Yeah so what?" the name clicked into place as Bill spoke.

"You flew with the Corsairs?! Holy shit, they are considered the best stunt pilots in the entire Lylat system!" Hawkins shrugged as he spoke.

"Well, you won't find me on the official roster. Their manager said that the public would flip if a human was known to be flying with them, so we blacked out our canopies, and never climbed out in public view. They were good pilots, I kinda miss them, truth be told." Krystal nodded as she spoke.

"That explains why one of the birds didn't land when that crash happened. You couldn't, it would've ruined their reputation." Hawkins nodded as a weak smile crossed his face.

"And why they upgraded their Arwings. They gave me the one I had been flying when I left, told me the door was always open. Helped me get the fighter battle ready. Last gig I did with them was about a month and a half ago." Bill clapped his shoulder as Slippy spoke again.

"Well, I'm glad you're with us. I've heard what you can do in that Arwing of yours, and I'm going to machine new capacitors for all of the Arwings. I've already mimicked your core setup." He grinned at them all as each one spoke in agreement.

"Thanks guys." There was something about his smile that said he couldn't have been happier.

()

Fox dropped his head into his hands. They couldn't think of a better plan than splitting between four potential base sites. And the search area was thousands of square kilometers that they had to search.

"Are you sure you can't rig up some sort of probe or something? Like those unmanned drones the UEC uses?" Peppy shook his head as she spoke.

"We don't have the time. We'll be fine. It's as simple as find the base, and nail it. Nothing more. No one has to fight." He sighed as he stepped away from the holo pad and started pacing again.

"Are you absolutely sure the guns can punch through the ice?" he nodded and Fox spoke.

"So why don't we just bombard the entire region!" Peppy shook his head, clearly as frustrated as he was.

"We could, but this is the water supply for most of the colony. If we bombard it, the colony will be flooded. We can't let that happen." Fox cursed as he paced.

"Alright. They won't like it, but it's all we can do. We'll go down as wing pairs, use the shuttles. Krystal and I, Falco and Katt, Bill and Lucy, Hawkins and Mira. I just hope this works." Peppy nodded as they stood there.

"I'll tell everyone to suit up and meet in the rear hanger. Cold weather gear, and blaster rifles. Good luck down there." Fox nodded and marched out into hallway. He quickly reached his cabin as Peppy's voice filled the intercom. "All pilots, retrieve winter gear and rifles from the armory and report to the rear hanger bay. I repeat…" Fox ignored the rest as he tugged his flight suit on and pulled a heavy jacket over it. He grabbed his blaster pistol as he stepped out the door, nearly running into Krystal.

"Hey Fox. Can you grab my blaster and MG from the armory?" he turned back to her as he trotted down the hallway.

"Yeah, sure thing." She nodded as he stepped into the elevator. He rushed into the armory, grabbing Krystal's blaster and her Machine gun. She favored it over the blaster rifles for some reason. He slung the ammo bag over his shoulder as he grabbed his own rifle. Cornerian blasters were very short, and it was rare to find one with a stock on it. Fox's happened to be one of the few, but only because he modified it after the Aparoid threat. He checked the battery on it before leaving the Armory as Mira, and Bill marched in.

"Hey Bill, Mira." Bill nodded to him as he marched down the hallway and into the rear hanger. The room was cramped with the two small shuttles and the freighter parked in it. The shuttles were more or less flying boxes, meant for ferrying people between the ship and the surface and nothing else. Hawkins was already in there, his chemical seals latched onto his armor, acting as cold weather gear. His helmet was under the crook of his arm, the faceplate already attached.

"Fox." He nodded to Fox as he spoke.

"Hawkins. No more rescuing me. Got it?" he laughed as they waited for the rest of the team.

"No promises. Sorry, if your ass needs savin…" Fox glared at him as the others started trickling in. Fox handed Krystal the machinegun and ammo as he spoke to the group.

"We are splitting into wing pairs down there. You find the base call in strike coordinates, then the Great Fox pounds it." he brought up a holographic map of the area before he continued. "Krystal, we are going to the mountains here. Falco, you and Katt will search the glacial ravines here. Bill, Lucy, you have the lone mount, here. Hawkins, Mira, you have the impact site. Hawkins, a Cornerian battle cruiser slammed into the ground at light speed here about twelve years ago. Broke the ice down to cave systems deep below the surface." The group was silent as Fox watched them. "Alright, Star Fox, move out!"


	11. Chapter 11: Tidings of War

_It's colder than the last time I was here._ Fox was startled when Krystal spoke.

"Really? Cause it is freezing out here. I feel really sorry for Falco." Fox grinned as he imagined Falco complaining insistently about the cold.

"Yeah. It didn't get this cold at the control center. Brrr." He shook snow off his fur as they marched into the next cave. Krystal's violet battle armor was half covered by the thick leather jacket she was wearing over it, turned almost white by the windblown snow. Her old collapsible staff was just barely visible, sticking out from below the jacket.

"I hope the others are having more luck. I think all we have accomplished is freezing our weapons to our bodies." Fox smirked as he flicked the light on his rifle on. It illuminated the small cave and he was about to leave when something metallic caught his eye. He moved closer to it, deeper into the cave. Something shifted beneath his feet and the wall slid back and folded up, revealing a long hallway on the other side.

"Well, Krystal, still feeling unlucky?" she rolled her eyes and didn't answer as she marched down the corridor. They reached the end and stepped through the doorway. It lead into a small group of elevators and Fox summoned one.

"Fox, I have a bad feeling about this. We should've encountered resistance by now." He shrugged as he spoke, waiting for the elevator.

"The last base was pathetically defended. Might be the same here." She rolled her eyes again as the elevator reached them. They stepped inside and pressed the down button. Krystal moved to the side of the elevator as Fox did the same on the other side. The door opened and they both rolled out, weapons raised. The room they had entered looked like a large hanger bay, with multiple strike fighters inside, as well as a small destroyer. The two of them glanced at each other as silence seemed to fill the room.

"Don't say it Fox." He grinned at her as he spoke.

"It's too quiet." She just about hit him as he sniggered.

"Damn it Fox, why do you always jinx us!" he held back laughter as he spoke.

"Aw come on Krystal, there is no such thing as bad luck. It's all in…." his voice cut off as plasma bolts started ripping through the air around them. Fox dived to the deck and fired back at every muzzle flash he saw.

"See! You jinxed us!" Fox grinned as they rushed behind a strike fighter, using it as cover.

"No, I just brought us some excitement!" she glared at him as she ducked down to reload.

"Oh yeah, totally exciting, a whole bunch of angry pirates shooting at us. Love it!" Fox blasted one of the pirates as the pirate moved around the ship.

"I know you do!" he grinned at her glare.

"Grenades?" Fox shook his head as he slung his rifle.

"How about strike fighters?" he climbed up into the ship and fired it up. As soon as it hovered off the floor, he rotated and began firing at the infantry. They began to scramble as Krystal kept firing machine gun rounds into them.

"Alright, I have to admit, it's better than grenades." Fox grinned as he fired on a pair of Mech suits. The two treaded behemoths detonated under the shots.

"See? All of my plans are great!" he heard her groan over the radio. A massive door at the end of the room opened as the destroyer powered up. it backed out of the hanger as it fired a laser blast into the strike fighter Fox was in. it spun out of control and slammed into the wall, crushing a fighter beneath it.

"Fox!" Krystal shot across the hanger, ignoring the plasma fire. Fox was already kicking the canopy out as she scrambled up to him. She shrieked as a plasma bolt ripped across her arm. She clutched the wound as Fox leapt out and fired his blaster. Krystal slipped behind the wrecks and through a doorway. Fox sealed it as he passed through behind her. "Fox, you're plans, are what get us into messes like this!"

()

I marched through the thick snow as wind blew against me, tearing at my clothes.

"Damn, it is cold out here! I way under dressed!" I smirked as I glanced back at her. She was wearing a thick jacket and skin tight jeans. She had been complaining about the cold ever since we had landed.

"Did you miss the memo that we were going to a glacier?" she glared at me as I stopped, dropping my pack into the snow.

"What the hell are you doing!" I pulled a pair of uniform pants and a uniform jacket and tossed them to her.

"Throw those on over your clothes. It's technically for urban environments but it's winterized, so it'll keep you warmer." She didn't hesitate as she dropped her rifle and slipped into the clothing. She had to blouse it in her boots to keep from walking on the hems. The clothes were insanely baggy on her. "There, better?" she nodded and I handed her rifle back. We kept moving through the thick snow. I was constantly having to clumsily wipe snow off my visor with the bulky gloves.

_At least I aint freezing._ The thought crossed my mind before I could stop it. We reached the edge of the impact crater and she grabbed the grappling hook out of my pack. I rammed it into the ice and threw the rope off the edge. She glanced down, gulping at the near thirty foot drop.

"Aw come-on. It aint that bad Mira!" I smirked at her just before I leapt off the cliff, even though I knew she wouldn't see it. I reached the bottom and hollered up to her. "Come on down! Don't worry, I'm right here if you fall!" I watched as she grabbed the rope and began inching down it. I could tell the strain was starting to get to her, when she suddenly let go of the rope. She was only a few feet up, but she screamed anyway. I caught her and she stopped screaming almost instantly.

"Don't ever let someone talk me into that again." I smirked as I set her down.

"Hawkins to McCloud, we made it to the crater. Beginning search now." His voice was barely audible over the radio.

"Alright, we are moving deeper into the mountains. Expect interference to kill comms. Over." I nodded as I turned to Mira.

"Well, if you were a bunch of crazy profit driven pirates, where would you hide your entrance?" she shrugged as she gazed across the massive crater.

"Ya know, if the snow wasn't so thick, you'd still be able to see the shattered ice." I shrugged as I turned toward the cliff, seeing an almost perfect rectangular hole in the ice.

"How about the conveniently placed rectangular hole in the wall?" Mira's voice sounded confused as she spoke.

"What are you talking about?" I grabbed her arm and spun her around, without taking my eyes off the ice. "Oh, that hole." I unslung my rifle and loaded a magazine, slapping the charging handle out of the locked position.

"Well, you coming?" she was still standing outside as I moved into the hole.

"Oh, um yeah." she trotted to keep up as I reached a metal wall. There was a hand sized button on the side and I pressed it. The door squealed as it fought to break the ice that had formed over it. My rifle snapped up, just before the door did the same. I glanced at Mira before stepping through. She followed just slightly behind me. My light flicked on, illuminating the second doorway. Mira pressed the button and I stepped through into a small security station. It was deserted as I moved to one of the consoles and powered it up.

"Will, what are you doing?" I held up a finger as I fumbled with a few keys. My curse made her jump slightly as I tore the gloves and faceplate off, storing them in a small pouch. I brought up a base announcement and read it aloud.

"'We believe MacDonnell has been delayed in his usual inspection by the start of the war. I believe he will be using UEC ships to cover his movement in the system. All hands, continue with current assignments until further notified.' That was yesterday. Do they know something we don't? And why is MacDonnell's name so familiar?" Mira moved up beside me as I punched commands into the console, finding a map of the base.

"Wow, this place is huge. And who is MacDonnell?" I shrugged as I downloaded the map.

"I don't know. But his name came up at the last base too, and something about it seems familiar." We were silent as I tried to search the system for more information. Peppy's voice suddenly burst over the radio.

"Fox! Do you read?!" we glanced between ourselves as I spoke.

"Fox is under a Comm blackout. Even we can't reach him, over?" Peppy sounded frantic as he spoke.

"What about Falco, or bill?!" I shook my head as I started pacing a short way away from the console.

"I can try." I changed the channel on my radio and spoke again.

"Falco, Bill, either of you hearin me?" Bill's voice came through almost instantly.

"Loud and clear Hawkins. And we can barely get Falco." I pointed at Mira as I spoke.

"All right, peppy is contacting us. I'm bouncing his signal to you. Peppy, we can't get fox but the rest are listening." His voice echoed slightly as it got bounced to Bill.

"Pepper sent us an urgent message. The UEC has attacked Fortuna and Katina with almost four hundred ships. He has maybe a hundred and sixty engaging, and maybe eighty more he can call to duty, but he needs us out there. Katina has fallen, and Fortuna is locked in a ground war. We need to get out of here now!" I cursed as fear filled Mira's eyes.

"Bill, Falco, get your teams topside. Mira, transmit these base maps up to the Fox, then we'll go after McCloud and extract him." Bill and Falco acknowledged and Mira stuck a small drive into the console. Within a few seconds, she had pulled it out and was sending the data. I thought I heard a footstep and I turned the console off before shoving her behind it, flicking my light off. "Stay quiet. Not a sound." She nodded as I hissed in her ear. A door opened and a pair of flashlights swept into the room.

"Man, why are we even up here! No one ever uses this entrance!" the other soldier spoke as he marched to the door we entered through.

"They detected an entry here, and an unauthorized network access. Now go check that console!" I slipped my knife out as the soldier approached, setting his light on the console. I slipped up behind him and rammed the knife into his spine before yanking it out and ramming it deep into his diaphragm. I gently lowered the body to the floor as the other guard spoke. "Damn it Ramone, did you find anything…. Ramone?" he was sweeping the light my way as I gripped the tip of the knife, brought my arm back and let it fly. There was a flash as the light caught a glimmer of the knife before it slammed into his throat. I stepped over his friend's corpse and yanked the knife out of the dying Cornerians throat.

"I… you just killed them! Both of them, with a knife! I…" I stopped her as I flicked my rifle light back on.

"It aint that impressive. Now come on, we gotta move. They'll have needed to report back soon. You have the rear, I have point. Remember, check your corners, control your breath, smooth trigger work, and your targets will go down." She nodded and I lead the way through the base. One of the doors opened to a lit hallway and I flicked my light off. Two soldiers saw me enter and I blasted a single round into each. Mira's higher pitched weapon fired and I glanced to my right. One of the pirates was slumping against a wall. "Good shot."

"Thanks." I trotted on, arriving in a massive hanger. All the way across the hanger, in the opposite corner, was a wrecked strike fighter resting on top of another one. Between us and there was a massive group of pirates, including a Mech suit.

"Run for the other side!" I shouted as I shoved her that way. My rifle began firing as if it had its own mind. Pirates scattered for whatever cover they could, including thin crates that my rifle punched clean through. I ducked down and reloaded the rifle before slamming a tube running along the underside of the weapon open. A large slug came out of one of my pouches and I slammed the tube shut with it inside. I aimed way above the Mech and squeezed the trigger at the back of the tube. There was a loud whump as the grenade arced out and slammed into the Mech. The Mech was nothing but small pieces of scrap after the grenade had gone off. I sprinted across the hanger and slid to a stop behind the wrecked fighter. There was a door that I pounded on as Mira caught up.

"Fox, open the door!" Mira's shout went over the radio and the door slid open, both of us diving through.

"What the hell are you two doing here?!" Mira glanced at him and laughed.

"Well to rescue you of course! We need to get out of here! Now!" Fox nodded as I instantly spoke.

"I'm on point. Fox, cover right, Krystal, cover left, Mira, cover rear. I want three hundred and sixty degree coverage. You see a target, call it as you shoot it. Clear if they're all dead! MOVE!" they needed no more explanation. I sprinted out the door, moving back the way I came. "Three, twelve o'clock." I fired my rifle as I ran. "Clear!" Fox's voice followed.

"One tango, two o'clock." His blaster fired as he spoke. "Clear!" Krystal suddenly yelled and I almost instantly reacted.

"Fox, sniper!" I dived into him and felt myself get blasted off my feet. Blaster shots rang out as I sprung to my feet and kept running. We reached the door and Fox finally spoke.

"You alright Will?" I nodded absently as I spoke.

"Yeah, I were armor for a reason." We ran through the hallways, fending off attack after attack until we were in the final security room. I spun to a stop and fired back the way we came as pirates rushed at us.

"Krystal, Mira, go! We got this!" Fox's voice rang out and they complied. We heard the shuttle land behind us and we sprinted out into the snow blown landscape. Fox suddenly shouted and fell to the ground. I yanked him by the collar of his jacket and half tossed him on the shuttle before jumping on myself. The shuttle lifted up and away from the ground as Krystal spoke.

"Fox! Where are you hit?!" his eyes were wide as he responded.

"They got my damn ass! Oh god that hurts! Ow-ow-ow! Damn it I am not sitting down for a while! Son of a monkeys left testicle this hurts!" I started laughing as he squirmed around on the floor, screaming profanities.

"Hawkins, this isn't funny!" I barely spoke between the laughs.

"Oh yes it is Krystal! Oh that is priceless. Come on Fox, ass hits don't hurt that much!" he glared as he shouted.

"Yeah, screw you too Will! Now why the hell did you have to go all rescueie?!" I almost instantly stopped laughing as I remembered what peppy had said.

"The UEC has begun its invasion. Katina is already lost."


	12. Chapter 12: Old Rivals, New Allies

We all settled into seats as general pepper began his briefing. All except Fox, who leaned up against a wall, keeping one half of his rear end well away from any object. Krystal's arm was still bandaged as well, but it was more just to keep bacteria out.

"I know you've been here two days, but I finally found a place where I need you. This forest holds the largest ground force we have left on the planet. We need to hold the enemy back far enough that they can't use their artillery on the main base." He paused for a second as he coughed. "The enemy is known to have heavy anti-air capabilities here, and we believe they are massing infantry and armored units to take out our defense lines along here. We can not let that happen. Captain Marlowe is the local commander. Now get down there!" I watched as Fox nodded and signaled for everyone to follow.

"Hawkins, what can you tell me about human anti-air?" I thought back for a second, trying to remember the books my dad used to buy me.

"Most of the mobile stuff is Flak based weapons. Meaning, fires big ass shell in the air to detonate around a plane. With hopes that the shell nails your ass. And laying down sheets of it. Works great for area denial. Modern guns have smart rounds that can sense an aircraft and detonate near them. Harder to hit a low flying fighter than a high flying one" we all continued to march through the corridor.

"Alright, we target the guns first. Take them down and we will be free to hit anything that we need to." I stepped into one of the elevators with Mira and the rest of second flight.

"Nervous?" Mira was staring at me as she spoke.

"Not particularly. You?" she nodded and I gave her a pat on the back. "You'll be fine." She smiled as the door opened and we marched into the hanger bay. We both dropped into our fighters and started powering them up. I took a deep breath as I listened to my Arwing idle for the first time in nearly two weeks. I fired up the rest of the systems one at a time until I heard Mira through my radio.

"Hey Will, hear me okay?" I smiled as I glanced over at her Arwing.

"Loud and clear Mira!" Fox's voice rang out on the team channel as I prepared to lift my fighter off the deck.

"Alright, remember, we are here to support the Cornerian soldiers as they hold their positions. Remember what Hawkins said about the flak cannons, the more we take out, the easier this gets. not a whole lot of air power on this one." Falco's voice broke across the radio, cutting Fox off.

"So, Fox, is your seat comfortable enough?" I was confused until Katt spoke.

"I mean, we're all very concerned about your right ass cheek. Does it still hurt Fox?" I could almost hear his teeth grinding as he spoke.

"Katt, yes, my ass still hurts. What do you expect! Both of you, pay attention to the mission!" Krystal's voice seeped through the radio, in an almost longing sort of way.

"Ah, I remember the days not so long ago that I was the only one interested in Fox's ass cheeks. But alas, all good thi…." Fox Screamed into the radio, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"KRYSTAL!" I decided to just lift my fighter into the air and launch out of the hanger. Mira followed me out and I could hear her giggling.

"Alright Mira, get your game face on. Remember, fast and low until those guns are down." She acknowledged as our fighters dropped into the atmosphere. Flame rose up past our shields as we led the formation downwards. As soon as the flames died away, we shot down until we were flying just above the trees. Targets started to highlight on my HUD and I started firing as we passed a massive clearing. UEC Flak cannons blew apart as we ripped past. The two of us arced up into the sky as the other wing pairs preformed their own strafing runs.

"Alright, Captain Marlowe, Flak is down and we are prepared to render any support we can. Mark a target and consider it history." Fox's voice seemed calm over the comm line.

"Oh thank god! We need fire all around us Star fox. They are coming out of the woodworks out here. And they replace them faster than we can kill them!" New targets appeared on my HUD and I gunned the engines. We raced over a small valley, firing shots into one of the tree lines. Tanks blew apart as we raced past, unable to track our fighters. I rolled around and killed my thrust, letting my fighter fall to just above thirty meters. I rammed the collective up and started firing into infantry units, sweeping fire across their lines. Individual soldiers were blasted apart by the Starfighter's weapons. I rammed the throttle in and rocketed away. Falco's voice flooded the comms as he shouted.

"We got more of those Raptors coming! A whole squadron of them!" I cursed as I shot high into the sky. Raptors looked a lot like third gen Arwings, only the wings were replaced with massive G-diffusers, and its fuselage housed a much more powerful reactor. These allowed the ship to fly entirely off the G-diffusion system, as opposed to the Fusion torch on my fighter and the ion drive on the third gens.

"Alright, remember, the Raptor flies off of its G-diffusers. Take one out, and down it goes!" I found the fighters on my radar and shot toward them. Two of the fighters adjusted toward me, one after Mira.

"Mira! Be careful, I can't help you this time!" I fired a missile at one of the two in front of me before pitching up and away.

"Just worry about your own _ass_, I'll holler if I need ya!" she put particular stress on the word _ass_ as she spoke. My missile connected, but the raptor's powerful shielding held off the whole blast. I keeled over and dove after one of them, the other chasing after my fighter. I heard an explosion and the blip behind me disappeared. Mira's fighter was behind me now, trying to catch up. "Just thought we might try something, new, ya know, work together!" I grinned as the Raptor in front me juked out of my fire. I rolled after it as it continued its strange juking patterns.

"Hey Mira, think you could get these to losers to follow you?" I was already killing my thrust and disabling the G-Diffuser, letting my fighter fall out of the sky.

"Yeah, sounds easy enough, may have to flash em my _ass_." She turned and shot away. Both fighters ignored my seemingly out of control fighter and went after her. I turned the systems back on and gunned the engines. There were treetops all around me for a split second, just before I leapt away to chase down the two ships. Before they even knew what was happening, I had fired all five of my remaining missiles at them. One of them managed to dodge a missile, but the other four connected. One fighter burst apart while the other drifted slowly down, completely disabled. The pilot ejected as Mira fell back into formation. "Why do you always use me as bait?" I shrugged, glancing at her.

"Well, you make very good bait. Everyone just seems to want a piece of dat _ass_!" she laughed as the two of us shot over to Katt, who was tangling with two raptors on her own.

"Hey Katt, feeling lonely?" Mira let her voice take on a sing song like style as I dived after one of the ships. I managed to drop its shields as the other went after me and I pulled off. Katt knocked one of its G-Diffusers off and Mira started chasing the one behind me. It suddenly stopped and she narrowly dodged it, just for Katt to pound a pair of missiles into it. The craft blasted apart as Falco drifted over.

"Hey guys!" I glanced at the RADAR, watching as Fox killed one going after Krystal, marking the last of the Raptors.

"Great work team! We have a few more ground targets to hit, and then we are free to go back to the Great Fox!" Falco was making an expression like he was saying 'Wait for it' over and over until he suddenly put a thumbs up, just as Bill spoke.

"To bad nobody got shot in ass this time!" we all winced as Fox screamed into the radio.

"If I hear one more thing about my ass, I am making all of you clean the toilets for a week!" Mira was instantly talking.

"Don't do it Falco! Don't do it!" Falco was clearly fighting back laughter as he finally spoke.

"So McCloud, how is that ass cheek these days?" the amount of noise was tremendous as everyone shouted the same name at once.

"FALCO!"

()

Fleet Admiral Ronald Douglas watched as the eight Cornerian fighters tore apart his ground force. And for the first time in his almost twenty year career, he was disgusted by his job. A deep voice from the corner of the bridge spoke. He glanced at the shady figure as the figure crossed his arms.

"I told you your Raptor's wouldn't stop them. The Star fox team is better than that, and their new recruits aren't bad either." His attention went back to the view screen as the ships finally pulled out.

"So how do you recommend dealing with them, Mr. O'Donnell?" he stepped up beside the admiral, dwarfing him with his almost seven foot height.

"We tell him the truth. He doesn't know about New York. Or about the MA-AR alliance. I'll tell him to meet me on Corneria." He shivered slightly as he stared at the Cornerian's cybernetic eye. It always had a way of creeping him out, although he wasn't even sure it was fully cybernetic.

"And how do you know that will work? You said you were his rival, why would he listen to you?" the man seemed angrier than usual.

"Some things have to change. It isn't about whether he will or not, it's about whether he has to or not." The Admiral glanced at him. He always seemed to know more than he let on.

"Well, in the meantime, I need you to hit a group of pirate bases along our supply lines. I suspect they are manned by Andross remnant. Maybe you'll find more proof there." The Cornerian nodded as he punched up the coordinates. He started to walk away as the man whispered something, for a second he thought it was meant for him.

"Good job pup. Now just keep yourself alive down there McCloud." The admiral stared at him for a few seconds before he marched out.


	13. Chapter 13: Lost with All Hands

Mira was shocked at the way Will was now always wanting to hang around her now. Over the past few weeks, they had been given multiple strike missions, none of which were quite as exciting as the first one. Fox's injury had finally healed, much to Falco's disappointment. And Will had stopped wandering the ship at night. Although he still didn't sleep as much as he should. She glanced across the room at him, where he was reading something off the ships archives. He had become fascinated by the exploits of the Star Fox team. She also noticed that he was starting to work with her more and more often.

"Hey Will, I have to ask but this has to be hard on you. Having to fight humanity that is." He glanced up from the mission files on the first Saurian conflict as she spoke.

"No. I was trained to fight humans. Besides, they are the ones who killed eight million innocent people. Not the Cornerians. So until I have found and killed the bastards who did that, everyone else is just a casualty." She nodded, suddenly almost scared of him.

"Don't you think of their families back home?" he shook his head and turned away from her.

"Why? Their soldiers. Either their family accepts that or doesn't." the fear of him was slowly rising more and more.

"But, they can't all be bad, can they?" he sighed as he spoke, still not willing to look at her.

"No, but we can't think like that. We think like that, and we stop being able to pull the trigger. And that could mean death for one of our team mates. Understood? They are the enemy, nothing more." She nodded as he spoke, the fear slowly slipping away.

"Will honestly, has this war been hard on you? Don't answer as a soldier, answer as my friend." He finally turned to face her again. There was something off in the way he was sitting.

"I was the lieutenant in charge of my platoon on Ganymede. I had been selected in training to go through Officer Cadet School, that's how I managed it as a nineteen year old. Anyway, I was given the order to retreat. Abandon the colony. The insurgent force was trying to set up artillery where we were to bombard the colony, so I told my men to hold their ground. My choice, cost the lives of forty-eight people. The colony was evacuated, and not one of close to five thousand people were killed. And now, I feel like I'm killing each and every one of those soldiers again, only it's me pulling the trigger. So yeah, this is hard on me. And out there, I'm fine. It's the down time that's hard." She nodded, unsure as to what to say to him.

"I, Will? You aren't killing people who are defending civilians, your killing those insurgents again. The ones that wanted to kill the colony." He shook his head as she spoke.

"No, it doesn't feel that way. I don't know, something about this war just doesn't feel right to me. It would take more than the greed of a few leaders to get the entirety of humanity behind a full scale invasion. Something just does not feel right." She nodded and remained silent. A klaxon alarm went off and they both dragged themselves out of their chairs.

"Well, wing man, are you ready to get back out there?" he smiled as he responded.

"Only if you're out there with me." They half ran down to the hanger, since Fox was now doing the briefings in flight to save time.

()

Fox watched as the last of the pilots leapt into their battle scarred Arwings. He waited until most of them were done with their check lists before speaking.

"General pepper has asked us to escort four ships to a point that we can safely open the orbital gate." The UEC had started firing through the gate whenever it was opened, almost completely eradicating its tactical uses. "The Great Fox will lead the formation, and each wing pair will be assigned its own transport to protect. Each transport is carrying roughly two thousand war refugees, being taken to Corneria for shelter. Intelligence believes the enemy intends to destroy these ships. Move out!" he lifted his ship off the rail and shot out of the hanger. The eight fighters formed up behind him as they approached the rendezvous point, thousands of clicks away from Fortuna. Something seemed off as they approached and Peppy's voice rang out over the radio.

"We have three UEC battle groups moving to engage the transports! I count three cruisers, and two destroyers per group. They are launching fighters!" Human Cruisers were almost eight hundred meters long, and bristling with gun turrets. Destroyers ranged from four hundred to six hundred meters, and generally had a powerful central line main cannon.

"Alright, peppy, see what you can do about holding the battle groups back! everyone else, get to those transports and swat away any fighter that comes close to them!" he glanced back as plating all across the Great Fox shifted out of the way to let nearly eighty different gun turrets to rise out of the hull.

"Well, I guess we get to see if those disappearing guns were worth the cost." Falco's voice sounded disappointed. Everyone knew he had wanted that money for the Arwings and himself. Fox rammed the throttle forward. He was pressed back against the seat as he rocketed across space. The two Arwing interceptors shot ahead of them, while Mira and Hawkins started to fall behind. He glanced at them on the RADAR again, realizing that they were drifting away from the formation as well.

"Hawkins, Mira, where the hell are you two going!?" Hawkins almost instantly responded.

"To thin the herd." And with that their fighters peeled away from the formation. He slowed as he reached the transports and glanced at his RADAR. Hawkins and Mira seemed to be giving them hell, only going after the fighters trying to get past them, forcing as many fighters as possible to be going after them, instead of the transports.

"Bill, Lucy, go help them out!" the two fighters leapt away as they acknowledged. Their fighters started going after anything chasing Mira and Hawkins. More and more fighters broke past them as they fought to hold them back. The enemy squadrons seemed to be made of Tomcats, escorting Tridents. The trident was actually older than first contact, and was a very large slow moving fighter. It had a single fusion torch at the rear of its fuselage, and three wings, one arcing up over the hull, almost reaching the cockpit, and the other two arcing out and forward, reaching the same point as the top wing. The top profile view is what gave the fighter its name. Each one had three massive plasma cannons on each of the wings, and two smaller ones nestled in the nose, just like the Tomcat. Along with its array of missiles, this made it a devastating anti-ship fighter. "Alright, go after the tridents first, then the Tomcats. Any fighter attacking the transports takes top priority." He gunned his engines as peppy spoke.

"Well Fox, those shield upgrades and disappearing guns, worth every liat we spent on them. Two of the destroyers are down, and their shots have only dropped the shield twenty percent." Fox heard Falco groan as he dived after one of the ships. A few linked blasts, and the trident evaporated in a ball of fire. A pair of Tomcats dropped onto his tail. He didn't even have to speak to Krystal, and she was already sweeping in, destroying one of them. The other chased him as he ducked and weaved through the transports, their light weight turrets managing to destroy the fighter.

"McCloud! Shit's too thick out here, think we can get them to open the damn gate now, rather than later!" Fox shook his head as he intentionally placed his fighter between the transport and a Trident. One blast nearly knocked his shield out as he fired a missile into it.

"They'll just follow them through, Hawkins." He followed Krystal as she dove into a small formation. Together, they destroyed the three tridents inside it and split up to go after Tomcats. He glanced at his RADAR and saw the sheer number of fighters now swarming past Hawkins's group. They were too tied up defending themselves to engage them. There had to be at least a hundred and forty enemy fighters, two full wings, at play against their meager eight fighters there was no way they could win this fight without back up.

"Fox, one of the transports is being swarmed under!" he shot after Krystal, joining her as they tried to sweep enemy fighters away from the transports and into the dogfights.

"Peppy, we need the Fox up here NOW!" he rolled and dove after a trident, managing to shoot the two missiles it had fired down before the Trident. Peppy acknowledged and there was a sudden flash of light as the ship Warped the distance between the engagements. Her new broadside cannon array tore into the enemy fighters with inhuman precision. Enemy fighters started to peel out of the fight to go after the Dreadnaught class vessel. Missiles they were firing managed to punch through the shields and start damaging the hull plates. Mira's voice cut across the team channel as she yelled.

"I'm hit! Lost my port wing, minor damage to the engine and port G-Diffuser. I can still fight though!" Fox was about to shout as Hawkins did so for him.

"Negative Mira, disengage and pull out! We are not losing someone just cause they are feeling heroic!" she grudgingly agreed as Fox dove after a swarm of Tomcats going after the transports. His shields had finally recharged as he swept after them. Most of the group peeled away and he chased down the last two, blasting them apart. The group then dropped onto his tail and his fighter shook as bolts slammed into his shielding. He rolled and dove, leading them toward the great fox. Cannon rounds tore the group apart as they passed the ship.

"The Great Fox's shields are down to ten percent! If this keeps up, we will have to retreat!" there were black marks all over the ship, and a few small holes as well were missiles had made it through the shields. Fox pulled away and shot back into the dogfight, clearing Falco's tail.

"Just keep at it! We kill enough of them, and they'll retreat!" just as fox said this, he saw four Tridents, just out of weapons range converge on one of the transports. They unloaded their entire missile loads into it and the Transport detonated. Fox felt a rage like none he had ever felt before boil beneath his skin as he rocketed after those fighters, destroying all four in a single pass. "WE ARE GOING TO KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU MURDERING MOTHER FUCKERS!" he shot his Arwing into their formation as his entire team shouted similar death threats. He no longer cared what happened to his fighter as he tore every fighter he could shoot into ribbons. Hawkins's ship shot past, almost a dozen fighters running from him as he slowly annihilated the entire squadron. Krystal shouted over the comms as she killed two more of the fighters.

"This is for every single innocent life you murderous scum have taken!" there was sudden chaos amongst the enemy ships, and before he could truly understand it, the fighters were pulling back. Krystal's torn apart fighter moved to chase after them, still shouting profanities at them when Hawkins spoke.

"Krystal! Stop! I don't think they knew they were targeting civilians!" her fighter slowed to a stop.

"And how the hell would you know that?!" Hawkins's voice was very calm as he spoke.

"I kept my old encryption keys. I've been trying to find one that works. As soon as you said they had taken innocent lives, their captain ordered them to retreat. I don't think they knew they were killing civilians." Puzzled thoughts raced through Fox's mind as Hawkins spoke.

"But, that doesn't make sense! They clearly didn't care about civilians when they hit Cicero! Why would they suddenly care?!" Hawkins was quiet for a long time before he finally spoke.

"This whole war doesn't make sense. Nothing does anymore." Peppy's voice broke over the radio.

"I scanned the ships wreckage. No escape pods were launched. She's lost with all hands." Fox could barely think as he piloted the fighter back toward the Great Fox. A gate opened and the three remaining transports slipped through it. Hawkins's words echoed around his skull.

_This whole war doesn't make sense. Nothing does anymore._


	14. Chapter 14: The Saurian Gamble

Mira watched as Arwings hovered into the hanger, one by one. All of them were covered in battle damage. Krystal's Arwing was missing half its wing and the ion engine wasn't aligned anymore. Sparks sputtered from it as she shakily set the ship down on the clamp. Hawkins's fighter was one of only two that seemed nearly unscathed, along with Falco's. Hawkins landed and slipped out of his fighter, wrenching his helmet off as he trotted over to her.

"What happened out there?!" she was shocked at his hollow expression.

"I'm not even sure. One of the transports was destroyed and I think they cracked our encryption. As soon as Krystal said they were killing civilians, they retreated. They did lose close to half their force too but, I don't think that's what stopped them." Mira was staring at him, utterly confused.

"I heard that, I mean the Arwings, their shredded!" he sighed as he glanced around the hanger.

"Blind rage?" she looked around in total disbelief. She had never seen the star fox team return from a mission so ragged before. Fox trotted over to them, speaking quickly.

"Hawkins, with me, Mira, help Slippy get me and Krystal's Arwings back up to combat condition. Now!" she stared at him, shocked.

"Fox, what's going on?" Fox stopped, looking at them.

"General pepper has an emergency mission. Wouldn't say more. Hawkins, you're gonna want your ground gear." He nodded and sprinted back to his ship to retrieve his rifle. She stopped him as he ran for the hanger door.

"Hey, um, Will? Be careful, okay?" he smiled to her and hugged her as he spoke.

"I will. I didn't make ranger for nothing ya know. You too." And with that he rushed off, literally leaping over Slippy, who had ducked as he went by.

"Well, Slippy, we got a lot of work to do." He nodded, his opened mouthed expression showing his complete shock.

()

I sprinted into the conference room, still clipping my armor on. General Pepper was on the main screen already speaking.

"As you can see, Sauria will be in the perfect position to strike at Corneria. Latest Intel suggests the UEC hopes to capture it now, reinforce it and flank our fleets off of it. We need to prevent this." He brought up a map of Sauria and zoomed in on the light foot's main village. It had been converted into a military base. "We will be sending the ground team down to place EMP devices throughout the base, disabling the defense and letting fighters paste the base. Who are you sending down there?" Fox pointed over his shoulder at me.

"Just him." Pepper seemed locked in dis-belief.

"Just one man? I told you up to four!" Fox smirked as I watched the two of them.

"That one man, is the best ground fighter I have, given he actually has training. He'll be fine. Now how are we getting there?" Pepper brought up an image of his new flagship. It was one of only five dreadnoughts in Cornerian space. It was actually an enlarged Cornerian Assault Carrier.

"My ship is a prototype of a new carrier design. It has the ability to create a gate big enough to send destroyers through. We have not tested our new Gate Math for it, but this will be how you get there. We have a captured ODP, or Orbital Deployment Pod, that two Arwings will tow in system and drop onto the surface." I nodded as I spoke.

"ODP's are easy to spot. A lone pod is an easy target." Pepper smiled as he spoke.

"Ever since the Saurian Crisis, the planet passes through an asteroid field once a year. We happen to be in that yearly meteor shower. That will hide your pod." I nodded as Pepper spoke to Fox.

"Why only two fighters Fox?" he smirked as he spoke.

"The rest of our ships took severe damage defending the transports. We have Slippy working on ours now, but that's all we can risk. I assume the Great Fox will follow us at warp so we can get back?" Pepper nodded as he spoke.

"The pod is on its way to your ship. Should only be about ten minutes out. Get hooked up and get out there!" I left the room, followed by Krystal and Fox. I split off of from them, headed back to my cabin.

"Were the hell are you going Hawkins?" I smiled as I faced them.

"I built a surveillance drone I can link into my HUD. It'll be an extra set of eyes down there." He nodded and I sprinted back to my room, grabbing the small drone off my desk and rushing back to the hanger. The Pod was already sitting on the deck plating. The plating on it looked burned already. "Ya know, this things are supposed to be single use right?" Fox laughed as he spoke.

"Your old liberty ships were supposed to be single use, yet some made over forty crossings of an ocean." I looked at him, completely baffled.

"So you know what the hell a Liberty ship is, but you know nothing of the Trojan Horse. You're psychotic." I climbed into the small craft and strapped in.

"Nah, just been looking up old battles to see how humans fight. See ya later. I hope." He smirked as he sealed the pod and I cursed. The pod shifted as I felt the two Arwings drag it out of the hanger. I knew it was just suspended between two cables, attached to the underside of their Arwings with an explosive bolt. I was jostled for what seemed like hours until Fox spoke over the radio. "Hey, that's surprising!"

"What's surprising?!" he laughed as he spoke.

"Oh, we just actually ended up above Sauria, that's all." I almost let out a breath of relief until I remembered that I still had to survive the drop.

"And the worst is still to come, joy. Drop me." I held my breath as a small vibration echoed through the pod. I could feel it moving, slowly accelerating. Within seconds, heat started to fill the pod. It suddenly jerked as the G-diffusers kicked in, just before an almighty smash. The door screeched open to let the blissfully cool air in as I climbed out, dragging the bag of EMP charges with me. There were dinosaurs in the clearing, all of them moving closer to the pod. The one at the head looked like a triceratops, with only one horn. It was wearing a golden, almost a crown with a massive red gem in the center. "Whoa there, back off, please don't eat me!" the creature looked almost puzzled before it stopped. And spoke.

"Eat you? Nah, I'm not big on that meat thing, gore you on the other hand, sure!" I scrambled as deep into the pod as I could.

"Wait don't! I'm here with Fox and Krystal! I'm a member of the Star Fox team!" he stopped in the middle of his pawing the ground, about to charge.

"Fox! He's here! I, where is he!" I relaxed for a second before I was lurched around. The multi-ton animal was jumping around, searching the sky.

"Laying low. There's a UEC base that's not far keeping them from landing. And can you cut that out!" he stopped jumping and I finally managed to climb out.

"Oh. It's a way away from here. Did, um he say anything about me?" I shook my head as I spoke.

"No, but there wasn't really time to. And you are?" he bounced slightly as he spoke.

"Prince Tricky! Or wait, I mean King. Of the Earth walker tribe. My dad died three years ago. And I haven't seen Fox since then either." I patted his massive shoulder as I spoke.

"My condolences. And Fox hasn't really had a ship that could get here, and then this whole war thing started. He just hasn't been able to. I'm sure he means to visit." Tricky bounced as he walked with me.

"Oh. Did him and Krystal get married?" I laughed slightly as I spoke.

"Um, no. they are barely dating as far as I am aware. This is Thorntail hollow isn't it?" Tricky nodded and I continued. "Well, it's a ways away from the base. I could use a lift, if you're willing to provide." He suddenly stopped as he spoke.

"Wait, wait, wait, if you're really with Fox, why do you look like one of them?!" I backed off slightly, glancing nervously at the horn.

"Because I left the UEC over a year ago. And I kept my gear." He gave me a suspicious glare before continuing.

"Where did me and Fox meet?" I looked around nervously, trying to remember what I had read earlier.

"Um, a place called Ice Mountain. Saved you from some Sharp claws!" he stopped and canted his head at me.

"I guess you do know him. Hop on, I'll take you as close as I can." I clumsily climbed onto his back and settled in, grabbing his head fringe so I didn't fall off.

"We've tried to attack them a few times. Even with the Sharp claw helping, they have torn us apart. I got so few warriors left, I don't know what I'll do. Cloud runners have been hiding. And the light foot disappeared after they took their village. Can you really penetrate that place?" I nodded as I spoke.

"I've got the same tech as them. And my own personal drone. Speaking of which…" I unslung my pack and pulled the drone out. I activated it and an interface appeared on my HUD before I tossed it in the air. It hovered up and away until it was not but a small speck. "There, I just hope I programed it properly."

"Alright hold on tight!" I grabbed on just in time as he started galloping. I had ridden a horse before, but this was insane in comparison, and near impossible to keep from being jostled. The ride seemed to last forever, and I instantly slid off as he stopped. "Alright, this is as far as I can take you. Those guys are dead ahead from here. Be careful, okay?" I nodded and patted his heaving flank.

"Thanks a million tricky, and I'll make sure to tell Fox to visit." He grinned as he rumbled off into the forest. I gingerly picked my way through the trees, finding multiple massive corpses as I marched. The smaller, more humanoid Sharp Claw were almost four times as numerous. I sent the drone ahead of me and ducked behind a burned out tree as it scanned the base. They had sentries on the walls every few feet or so. I slipped from tree to tree getting as close as I could. I could just barely see the wrought iron gate at the base of a cobblestone wall, with the UEC's temporary wall raised high above it. There were shouts from the wall and I cursed as silver blaster bolts tore into the tree I was hiding behind. I sprinted away, firing my own shots back as I ran.

"Come on, I need a fire team up here to go after that guy!" I barely heard the shout as I ran through the trees. I slid to a stop as blaster bolts lanced by, firing my own back. My weapon emptied and I took off, narrowly dodging trees. I suddenly heard screams behind me and I stopped to see multiple tall, Raptor like creatures armed with spears tearing the fire team apart.

"Look, there goes another one!" the creature that had shouted was pointing at me with its spear.

"Oh shit-shit-shiiiiiiit!" I sprinted as fast as I could as I yelled into the mic. "Is it just me, or did we not think that I just might upset the locals!" Fox's voice came back as I heard them closing in on me.

"Just drop my name, you should be fine!" I cursed as a spear lanced over my shoulder.

"Yeah, I think we are a little beyond that now! Oh shit!" I slid to a stop on the edge of a cliff leading down into a massive river canyon. The Light foots were only seconds from me. "Son of a bitch, I hope all those games weren't lying!" and I leapt off the cliff, holding my arms out, then bringing them together as I arced downward. I didn't even feel myself hit the water.


	15. Chapter 15: Katt's Apology

Mira watched from the bridge of the Great Fox as they dropped out of warp. She was surprised when no one hailed them.

"Fox, Krystal, Hawkins, you out there?" Peppy's voice echoed slightly in the silent command bridge. Fox's voice came back.

"You guys got here quick! We lost contact with Hawkins yesterday. His transponder stopped and we can't find him!" Katt almost instantly spoke up.

"He rejoined his true comrades, that's why!" Mira couldn't contain herself as she lunged across the space between them, managing to get a pair of punches in before Falco yanked her off.

"Whoa there you two, what the hell was that?!" she snarled at Katt as she spoke.

"My wing mate is not a traitor! Use his dog tags! I doubt those have failed!" Katt shot a glare back at Mira as fox spoke.

"Damn it, why didn't we think of that?! I got a fix on him, and he's moving, fast, toward the base." Mira shouted as she sprinted off the Bridge.

"I'm coming down there!" before she knew it, she was strapping into her fighter as Peppy spoke.

"We have a UEC battle group that just warped in. Falco, lead the team out there and help me take it out!" she lifted off and shot out of the hanger, headed for the planet. She watched her RADAR as the Great Fox fired, destroying one of the two destroyers. The other fighters shot out of the hanger, engaging enemy fighters as she entered the atmosphere.

"Damn it, he isn't responding to my hails! I hope he knows what the hell he is doing!" Krystal's voice sounded almost frantic.

()

My eyes slowly opened to see a long beaked creature sitting over me. I shot up, checking for my weapons as I patted down my soaking wet closes.

"Who are you? You look like the trespassers, and yet you fight them?" the creature cocked its head at me as its feminine voice spoke.

"Name's Hawkins. You?" she let her head go back to a more regular position as she spoke.

"Kyte, sole daughter of the Cloud Ruler queen." I nodded as I stood up, stretching my sore muscles.

"What happened after I jumped?" she waddled after me as I moved to the bank of the river.

"You got caught in the rapids. It took me hours to find you and pull you out of the water. You've been unconscious for almost a day." I cursed as I shook water out of my rifle.

"I need to get back to where I was. Can you point me the way?" the creature seemed to grin as I spoke.

"I can do better than that, hop on, I'll help you destroy them." I did as she asked and she spread her wings before jolting into the air. I wrapped my arms around her slender neck to keep from falling. "Are you with Fox?" I shouted back to her as the wind rushed by.

"Yeah, why?" I could barely hear her between the flapping of her wings.

"I thought I saw him flying around in that metal bird of his. With a companion. I think they were looking for you." I grinned as I hollered.

"Not surprised, that base has too much triple A for a fighter to get close. I don't think it can target you though, so that gives us a chance!" I checked my HUD to see if the drone was still connected. To my surprise, it was, and still hovering over their base. I clicked my radio on and yelled into it. "Fox, Krystal, can you hear me, over!?" there wasn't even static coming through. "Damn. Alright, you're going to drop me off, then see if you can find Fox and lead him there. Ok?" the cloud ruler was buffeted by wind as she spoke.

"Alright. What is your plan down there? Surely you can't take all of them on alone?" I almost laughed as she said that.

"No, I just need to place a few things, then fox and Krystal will deal with them." Silence stretched as we came closer and closer to the forest again.

"Are people normally this heavy? I heard that carrying someone was easy?" I laughed as she spoke.

"Yeah, maybe if it was Fox or Krystal. Fox is what, one sixty? Krystal, might hit one thirty if she was sopping wet. I'm one eighty, plus about seventy pounds of equipment and sopping wet. So yeah, someone else is probably a lot lighter." She seemed to visibly groan. I saw the base far below us and I was instantly speaking. "Alright, you're going to drop straight down in there. Now go!" she rolled over and dived, nearly dumping me off. I held on as tight as I could as I heard shouts and blasters from below. The next thing I knew, I was tumbling onto the ground and scrambling to my feet.

"Good luck!" no one seemed to have heard the dinosaur speak, or just didn't have a translator. They were all still aiming skyward and not one seemed to have noticed me land. A man came out of the building as my rifle came up. One clean shot to the head dropped him. I started sprinting to each flak cannon, dropping an EMP charge at each. Silvery bolts slammed into the dirt around me as I ducked from cover to cover, firing back whenever I could. They had clearly pumped out all of the water that had been in the village, given the photographs I had seen. I reached the last of the seven cannons and reached into the bag, only to find that it was empty.

"Shit, well here goes." I climbed up the gun barrel, just as Light foots started hurling spears at the walls, drawing the defenders attention. I reached the top and slid a live grenade down the barrel as I leapt off the turret and sprinted for the wall. The grenade blast drew the attention of two soldiers as I ran, both crumpled when I shot rounds into their chests. I leapt over the wall as an Arwing screeched overhead, light concussive bombs detonating inside the village. These bombs would only kill people, not harm structures. I hit the ground and tumbled, barely making it back to my feet in time as Light foots rushed at me. They screeched to a stop as I fired rounds at the dirt in front of them.

"You guys listen up! I'm with the Star Fox team. Fox McCloud sent me down here!" they continued to jeer at me and brandish their spears. Something rustled one of the trees to my left and I fired a round into the branches. The branch the creature had perched on snapped and it fell to the ground. The entire area was being shook and dust swirled as an Arwing gen two lowered to the ground. Mira's voice emanated out of it.

"Either you oversized lizards leave him alone, or I turn each of you into a smoking crater!" the light foots backed off before turning tail and sprinting away. Mira set the fighter down as I trotted to her.

"Hey Mira, you're here early." She grinned through her canopy as it raised.

"And you're running late. I thought this was supposed to be dealt with before we got here?" I smirked at her as I stuffed all of my gear and armor into her cargo bay.

"Oh, I always do things at the last possible second, don't ya know? Out, or be sat upon." She glared at me as she responded.

"Oh fine, but I am not riding in the cargo bay!" I grinned as I sat down in the fighter and she sat on my lap. I reached over her and grabbed the control yoke as I lifted the collective on the base of the seat. The fighter slowly rose into the air as the canopy closed.

"I'm glad you're so small, otherwise, this would be so uncomfortable." Mira was small enough that she barely came up to my chin when standing. She was grinning as she spoke.

"So this is comfortable to you, me sitting on you? And why the hell are you all wet?!" I couldn't help but grin as I rammed the throttle forward and dropped the collective back down.

"I took a swim. The water looked really nice, okay? And more comfortable than if you were say, Krystal's size, of Falco's. Although he is a feather." Her radio crackled to life with Fox's voice.

"Mira, did you find Hawkins?" she instantly spoke.

"Yes, and we are flying back up to the ship as we speak. Is there a reason he is all wet?" Fox clearly missed her question.

"Wait, how are you both flying up here? You only have the one ship?" she rolled her eyes as she spoke.

"I'm small, I fit in his lap. Now why is he wet!?" both Fox and Krystal started laughing hysterically.

"I assume he thought the water looked nice and took as swim. Or peed his pants. You'd have to ask him." I grinned as I flew into the hanger and did my best to land without inappropriately touching her, which turned out to be harder than it sounds. The canopy opened and she didn't move.

"Um, you can get out now." She grinned as she settled in, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Yes, but it is so comfortable here. Unless you tell me how you got wet." I glared at her before easily lifting her out and setting her on the fuselage.

"There ya go. I'm gonna go change!" I leapt out of the ship before she could stop me and collected my gear. She shut her fighter down and followed me as I walked back to our cabin. I was half expecting her to follow me into the bathroom as I changed out of my clothes. She was still waiting for me as I stepped out and she stopped me from leaving.

"Will, how did you get wet?" she put a rather large amount of impatience in her voice as she spoke.

"I jumped off a cliff." I stepped around her and she grabbed my arm.

"What?! You really need to work on your decision making skills. First, riding a nuke, now jumping off of cliffs!" I grinned again as I walked out, headed for the hanger.

"Oh puh-lease, it was only because there was a pack of crazed vengeful spear carrying dinosaurs chasing me." She stopped and rolled her eyes as I typed up a few commands onto my wrist computer. It was linked to the ship, allowing me to call anyone onboard. Fox's voice rang out of the computer.

"Yes Will?" I grinned as I spoke.

"King Tricky has officially requested your presence groundside. He'd like to see Krystal too." I heard him audibly moan as he spoke.

"I really don't want to be tackled again! Do I have too?" Krystal's voice butted in. evidently, she had been listening in.

"Oh come on Fox! He is an old friend after all! We have to go see him!" he cursed before he spoke.

"Alright, we will be back. eventually." I grinned as I entered the hanger, intending to fix the small amount of damage to my fighter. I realized as I was walking up to it that somebody already had. I was about to walk out when Katt suddenly called my name out, from a deep corner of the hanger where a single fighter I didn't recognize sat, torn apart. I stared at it for a second as I approached.

"Hey Katt, isn't that an Invader Class Three? I thought only Andross used those?" she glanced at the parts strewn across the corner of the hanger.

"It used to be. I called her the Catspaw. Got torn apart above Fortuna about a year ago. Falco and Fox saved me and I've been riding with them since. It was just a few days after they got the Great Fox Two actually. Anyway, I wanted to apologize to you." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I wasn't aware that you needed too?" she grimaced as she spoke.

"Mira didn't tell you?" I shook my head and she continued. "I've been doubting you since Cicero. I guess because you were human, and I realize now, that I can't have been more wrong. And I'm sorry." She finished and shifted on her feet, clearly uncomfortable.

"Don't worry about it Katt. You have plenty of reason to doubt. I just hope that I've done enough to counter those reasons. Hard to work with people when they don't trust you." She nodded and silence stretched between us as the door opened to reveal Falco walking out with Slippy joking about something. She continued to stare at them until I spoke.

"You really like Falco, don't you?" she nodded and I noticed the single tear slide down her cheek.

"That obvious huh? I've tried and tried with him, and he has made it clear to me that he doesn't want any semblance of a relationship. I've tried with others, but I'm always drawn back to him. It's a curse, really, and I just hope the same doesn't happen to Mira." I raised an eyebrow at her as she spoke.

"She seems nice enough. She could probably get the majority of guys out there if she tried." Katt giggled as she fought to speak.

"Are you really that thick Hawkins?" I smiled as I spoke.

"No. I know she likes me. She cares too much for her to want to just be friends. But, I'm sorry, it will always be a no. you might as well tell her now, before it's too late." She seemed to deflate as I spoke, as if she had been hoping that I felt the same about Mira.

"Oh, not into this whole alien thing, huh?" I shook my head, sadness rising up as old memories flashed through my mind.

"No. just not walking down that path. Not now, not ever again." She watched me, curiously, as if she was trying to pierce into my soul and see why.

"I have to ask, but why?" I shook my head letting that be my only answer.

"Well, I'm going to go write up a report and clean my gear. But if you need help on the Catspaw, just ask and I'll see what I can do." She smiled as she waved goodbye and I marched out of the hanger, almost running into the same Basset hound looking crew member I had seen on the first day. Almost all semblance of sadness disappeared as I fought laughter. Just the barest traces stayed, deep within my body, nothing more than a dull ache that never seemed to leave.


	16. Chapter 16: Nightmares

Fox jerked awake as images of his dream flashed through his mind. Krystal's arm wrapped around his shoulders as he sat there, shaking.

"It's okay Fox. I'm fine, and I'm right here." He shook his head, trying to get the images of Krystal being executed out of his head. There was something about the dream that seemed funny, like it wasn't entirely his.

"Krystal, I could swear it was real. It felt real, it looked real. If I hadn't woken up next to you, I would've thought it was real." He let his head rest on her as she spoke.

"Some of the images in it, that I saw, looked familiar. I could swear I have seen them before." Krystal suddenly got up and started pacing, clearly deep in her own memories. He stood up and stopped her, simply hugging her, so he could feel her warmth, her life.

"Krystal, don't worry about it. You're here, you're alive, and that is all that matters to me." Other images started to float into his mind. Images that did not seem as foreign. Images of Krystal's staff, covered in blood in his hands. Krystal's battered, lifeless body lying on the floor at his feet, a clear hole in her stomach marking the killing blow. He shivered in her arms as these images flashed through his mind.

"I've got it! Hawkins's nightmares, I see one almost every night and they are always of the same place. The place that you're at, it's the same place he is in his night mares." He nodded and patted her shoulder.

"That doesn't make sense that I had his dream, but I think you should go back to bed. I'm going to go for a walk. Try to walk this off. Sleep well okay?" she gave him a kiss before she spoke.

"Okay. Don't be long. Take care." She smiled at him and he hugged her again before he stepped out of the room. He wandered the ship until he found himself on the bridge. The only other occupant was Rob, in standby mode.

()

_I slid to a stop as plasma bolts ripped past overhead. Someone screamed as a plasma mortar screeched in. I watched it land almost directly on one trooper and another's leg came off. I grabbed the wounded soldier and started dragging him away._

_ "Amanda! Need you over here!" she slid to a stop beside me, tossing me a thick wad of cloth._

_ "Help me, keep that pressed on the stump!" I did as she asked and held it there as she wrapped a tunicate on his leg. I helped her haul him over to the rest of the wounded soldiers as more mortars rained down on us._

_ "We need to deal with that artillery before were all dead." She nodded as I clicked my radio on. "Ramirez, Gonzo, Roberts, get your asses to my position!" I watched Amanda's helmetless head move amongst the wounded, doing what she could for them. Her long blonde hair had fallen out of the tight bun she always had it in. she glanced up at me and smiled. Ramirez drew my attention as he spoke._

_ "We only have about twenty five troops still standing. Everyone else is either dead or injured." I nodded as I turned toward Roberts._

_ "Please tell me the Prime minister has approved something." He shook his head, looking defeated._

_ "Nothing sir, orbital fire, fighters, even an infantry unit, all denied sir." I audibly cursed as I spoke._

_ "Alright, we don't get those guns and they'll get us. Anyone up for a hike?" Ramirez instantly spoke._

_ "If it deals with danger, gunfire, and explosions, sure." I smirked as the other two nodded._

_ "Alright, get moving!" a small slender hand grabbed my arm as I was about to start moving._

_ "Be careful Will. Come back okay?" I smiled to her as I kissed her cheek._

_ "I will, love you!" I barely heard her call the words back as I sprinted off after the other three. I knew our relationship was against regulation, but I didn't care. We ran from shell hole to shell hole as we dodged mortar fire. The first gun loomed up in front of us and I signaled to Gonzales. His missile launcher came up and he fired, the gun disappearing in a cloud of smoke, sand, and debris. We were moving to the second gun when a sniper round cut into Gonzo's forehead. I dived to the dirt as Ramirez reacted, firing a trio of bolts so accurately, I could swear he had hit the sniper in the face with all three._

_ "Damn it, Gonzo's dead!" I shoved Roberts onward as we ran through the sand._

_ "I know, and we all will be if we don't destroy those mortars!" we found defenses at the next gun that we had to fight through to reach. Roberts took a round to his thigh and slumped to the sand. I grabbed his arm and slung it over my shoulder, setting him beside the gun as I changed its elevation and direction. As soon as it was aimed, I fired it, watching the rounds arc out on the satellite view and slam into the final gun. I already had a block of C4 out and was placing it._

_ "Ramirez, grab Roberts and get him back to the hill!" he nodded as he dragged him away. I stayed behind as I covered them, just before detonating the gun. Bits of metal were cast around the sky as I leapt to my feet and followed. Ramirez was suddenly speaking over the radio as I sprinted toward his position._

_ "Roberts is dead. And you need to see this." I dropped onto my stomach beside him and he handed me his binoculars. I looked through them, at the hill we had been holding, only to see a group of insurgents standing there. UEC bodies littered the ground and a man in a trench coat was walking along the line of the wounded, firing a blaster bolt into each forehead. Amanda was on the end, her hands and feet bound together and forced to her knees. She seemed to look straight at me, almost as if she was trying to say 'don't do it'. I watched in horror as the man stepped up to her and whispered something in her ear. Before I truly accepted what I was seeing, he stepped back, placed the blaster up against the back of her skull and pulled the trigger._

I jerked awake, sweat pouring out of my body as the memories flooded through my mind. Mira was standing beside my bed and she sat down beside me.

"I heard you thrashing about. Are you okay?" I shook my head as she spoke again. "Do you want to talk to me?" I didn't move for a minute, unsure what to do.

"I had a nightmare. About when my unit was wiped out." She nodded, staying politely silent as I gathered my thoughts. "Me and a couple others left our defensive positions to destroy mortars that were slowly killing us. We got back to find everyone else dead, executed by a man in a trench coat. I… I watched as they killed our medic. She had been my closest friend there. And I just sat there and watched as someone put a gun to the back of her head and fired." She placed a hand on my shoulder as I spoke.

"That's terrible. You have that dream every night, don't you?" I nodded and we stayed silent for several minutes. She reached over and wiped one of the tears off my cheek as she spoke. "Well, I'm always right here for you." I let myself give her a weak smile as I looked at her. I realized that she had tears of her own in her eyes.

"Hey, are you okay? You look like you've been crying?" she shook her head and another tear slid down her cheek. I pulled her into a hug just as she started sobbing, with no apparent reason.

"I can't stop thinking about them. My parents. And I am so scared that were are going to lose someone, honestly, I'm terrified it's going to be you. I've been having nightmares about it for almost a week. I… I didn't want to tell you because, I didn't want you to worry." I held her as she continued to sob, gently stroking her back.

"It's alright Mira. It's okay to be scared." She managed to look at me with a smile between sobs.

"I know. I just can't help it." her sobs slowly died down as we sat there in silence. Her body finally settled as she sat on my bed, curled into a ball.

"Mira, I'm going to go for a walk. Okay? Just need some time to think. Try to sleep while I'm gone okay?" she nodded as I wrapped my blanket around her shoulders. I grabbed a jacket and threw it on before marching onto the bridge to watch space go by. Fox was already on the bridge, shirtless and wearing cargo pants. "Fox? What are you doing up?" he glanced at me as I stood beside him.

"I could ask the same of you, kid." I smirked as he spoke.

"Don't call me kid. I know I'm years younger than you, but don't. Had a nightmare, needed to walk it off." He nodded and silence stretched between us.

"Honestly, same story here." I grunted as he spoke.

"Let me guess, something along the lines of Krystal being hurt or killed?" he nodded as he spoke.

"How did you…" I cut him off, chuckling.

"Seriously, you don't need to be a telepath to tell that she means everything to you. So what happened? If I'm allowed to ask." He frowned as he spoke.

"It was more a dream, interrupted by a second dream. First one, I beat her to near death, then I… I killed her with her staff. The second, I was lying on sand, holding binoculars as I watched a man execute her. The rest of the team was lined up beside her, already dead." I looked at him shocked.

"A man in a black trench coat." Fox nodded. He didn't even seemed shocked at all. "I… that was my nightmare, only it was more a memory of Ganymede. A man in a black trench coat executed all of the wounded, and all I could do is watch from afar." He grunted as he spoke.

"Well, Krystal suspected that she somehow transmuted your dream to me. I'm sorry Hawkins." I shrugged.

"It's the past Fox. It doesn't matter anymore." Silence stretched between us. I couldn't resist the urge to speak as my voice rang out across the bridge.

"So, what happened with Tricky?" Fox grimaced as he responded.

"Jumped up and down so hard that I think he started an earthquake. It was good to see him though. Krystal was pretty happy too." I jumped slightly as the Holographic console in front of us lit up as Rob spoke.

"Incoming transmission, flagged as urgent." Fox stepped up to the screen and answered it. General pepper appeared. He seemed more sickly than I had ever seen him. He coughed before he spoke.

"Star Fox, we have received intelligence that the enemy fleet is about to engage our main fleet. We need you out here immediately. Coordinates to follow." There was a small ping as it came through.

"Rob, set course. How long?" Rob was instantly speaking.

"One hour." I glanced at Pepper as he started coughing again. He sounded almost as if he had lung cancer.

"Did you hear that Pepper?" he nodded as he said goodbye.

"Yes Fox. Be ready for a fight, the enemy fleet is already inbound." I was already moving for the door as Fox issued the call to arms for the whole ship.


	17. Chapter 17: Razor's Edge

I rushed into my room and rushed to put my boots on, dropping the leather jacket and slipping into my flight armor. It was just a simple plate carrier with emergency equipment on it, a beacon, and mags for the pistol. I threw my belt on, which had my pistol and a few rifle mag pouches, then I grabbed my rifle off the desk with my flight helmet. Mira had thrown some cargo Capri's on under her night shirt. She tugged the shirt off and I caught a glimpse of bare chest before I could turn.

"You're pathetic." The door slid open and we marched out. She had thrown a tank top on and her blaster pistol.

"No, just polite. Come on." We marched through the halls down to the hanger. She patted my arm as we split to our separate fighters and I slipped my rifle into the special slot I built for it in my cockpit. I sealed the canopy and powered the fighter on. Fox's voice rang across the speakers as my HUD activated.

"Alright, the fleet is bogged down by Trident fighter bombers. We need to take them down so that the ships can maneuver and avoid the UEC vessels. Get out there!" I lifted my fighter off the hanger floor as the door opened. I rammed the throttle forward and shot out into space. Rob had managed to drop us out of warp at the back of the fleet. I glanced over and watched Mira form up on my wing. Explosions rocked all around us and venting atmosphere from destroyed ships was allowing sound to travel. One of the Cornerian cruisers detonated, rocking both of our fighters as it drifted apart.

"Holy shit, this is crazy!" fighters zipped by us as we split off to start chasing trident squads. I narrowly dodged a pair of first gen Arwings as they shot past, chasing a group of Tomcats. The Cornerian Defense Force had finally started replacing their defender class sub orbital fighters for Arwings after the Aparoid menace.

"No, this is war, get used to it, cause there is going to be a lot more of it." I rolled after one of the Tridents and watched it drift apart as I fired. I kept scanning for a working encryption key for the enemy fighters as I chased them. A voice crackled into the radio as I finished one of them.

"I want three battle groups to move to their right flank! And I have confirmation that the Star Fox team is now a part of the fight. I want Razor's edge dealing with them now!" I grinned as I started weaving through fighter formations, scattering them with plasma fire.

"General Pepper, I'm sending you an encryption key for their comms. Hope it helps." Another Trident detonated under my fire and I ruddered after his wingman. His wingman was sent spinning out of control and he ejected as Fox shot past.

"Hey Hawkins, getting a little slow there?" I grinned as I went after a Tomcat, easily destroying it.

"Not as slow as you old man!" I rolled after him, shooting down both of the Chinese Fire Arrows chasing him. Fire Arrows were dirt cheap strike fighters, only really any good in swarms. They were also fully automated, not requiring a physical pilot. I rammed the throttle back as I changed course headed for a swarm of Arrows that had gone after a fighter squad. I rammed my throttle forward and watched as ship after tiny ship blasted apart under my fire. A Cornerian pilot thanked me as I met up with Bill's interceptor. "Hey bill, having fun over here." He didn't respond for a second, ducking and weaving through an enemy fighter group.

"Yup. Wouldn't mind some help with this corvette though!" Corvettes were small ships outfitted to fight fighters, using twelve old fashioned Phalanx Defense Cannons. Phalanx cannons could fire seventy five twenty millimeter tungsten discarding sabot rounds per second, making them devastating to anything that came under its fire. It was one of the few kinetic weapons the UEC still used, and with magnetic assisted rails on each of the six barrels, made the almost out dated weapon design one of the most powerful anti-missile and ant-fighter weapons on the market.

"Sounds like fun bill. I'll play bait, you hit the guns!" I shot toward the ship, juking, rolling, looping, and using every maneuver I had learned as a stunt pilot to confuse the gun turrets. Thousands of rounds lanced through space, missing my fighter by feet as the guns tried to track me. Bill's ship shot through the fire and blew the guns apart, one at a time. The ship turned tail as soon as it became defenseless.

"Damn kid! That was some smooth flying. Later!" he shot after a pair of tomcats as I rolled slightly and rammed my yoke back, pitching the fighter away and back after a trident squad. They scattered as two of their ships exploded under my fire.

()

Fox veered after a fighter as it juked and dodged. He had watched Hawkins and Bill tag team the Corvette from afar, seeing Hawkins dodging massive volumes of cannon rounds. The fighter he was chasing detonated under his fire and he nearly slammed into Mira's fighter as they shot past each other. Peppy's voice rang out over the radio as Fox went after a trident.

"Fox, we may have a problem. Pepper sent two squads after an unconfirmed contact, both entirely KIA. That contact is coming up behind the fleet as we speak." Fox cursed as he rolled around and shot toward the contacts.

"Hawkins, back me up!" Hawkins acknowledged and finished off the enemy he was after as Fox passed. He caught up to Fox as fleet ships detonated all around them. They ducked and weaved through ships, weapons fire thinning out as they moved toward the back of the fleet. Hawkins's voice made him jump as he shouted.

"Fox, Pitch, now!" he yanked the yoke back just in time as a massive shell lanced past where he had just been.

"Holy shit, thanks kid!" they raced out of the fleet, the space around them suddenly seeming almost peaceful. He watched on his RADAR as the fleet eventually disappeared. They were within RADAR range of the contact and he saw twelve fighters on his screen. Just seconds later, a voice rang out over their com line.

"Why hello! Two little birdies have come to play! Would these birdies believe themselves to be flying foxies?!" his accent was extremely thick as twelve nearly black streaks shot toward them.

"Who the hell are you!?" Hawkins's voice echoed slightly as he spoke.

"Ah, yes they be flying foxies. You must be Lieutenant Hawkins! Oh, I mean _EX_-Lieutenant. Long time no hear, I believe Ganymede is the last time we spoke. You asked for support, but alas, I don't give support to those with a holier than thou complex." They both brought their fighters to a stop.

"What are you talking about you Russian son of a bitch." The voice laughed with a group of others.

"Oh where are our manners! I am the leader of the Razors Edge. And we shall be the doom you deserved over a year ago when you lead so many to their deaths!" Fox's warning alarms went crazy and both he and Hawkins split in different directions as missiles leapt after them in a massive swarm. He pulled the tightest turns he could do without losing speed. Missiles slammed into each other as he spoke again. "Ah Hawkins, did you join the ballet when I was not looking? You seem to maneuver like a stunt pilot, not a fighter pilot!"

"Shut your trap you cowardly fuck! If you had listened a year ago, forty eight men and women would still be alive today!" Fox killed his engines and flipped, firing plasma into the missiles chasing him before ramming the throttle forward and dodging the remaining missiles. They lost tracking as Raptors dropped onto his tail.

"Cowardly? No, I unlike you, was a good soldier, I followed orders! You had been ordered to with draw, and you didn't!" Fox cut in shouting as he spoke.

"At least he has the brains to not work with a government that murders innocent civilians!" Plasma lanced by Fox's cockpit and he saw Hawkins shoot passed, his cannons firing on Fox's pursuers. There was a menacing laugh over the radio.

"If only you knew the truth, McCloud! If only! But then, I wouldn't get the pleasure of killing you myself!" Fox ducked and weaved, doing everything he could to just stay alive. His fighter shook and his shields nearly dropped out.

_Krystal, I hope you are paying attention! I need you here!_ He watched Hawkins in the distance as he juked and rolled, making his fighter do things even Fox wouldn't dare attempt. He saw one of the enemy fighters light up as an ejection pod launched off, the fighter detonating behind it. He couldn't understand how Hawkins could be managing to go after enemies while this out numbered.

"I had a good conversation with your father the other day. He displayed much enthusiasm in your timely death. His exact words were, 'he is no son of mine'" something in the pilots voice made it sound like he was just trying to distract them. Hawkins simply laughed as he started to chase down another one of the raptors.

"Yeah, so? I disowned him three years ago!" Krystal's voice suddenly echoed through Fox's mind as he slammed on both pedals, bringing the fighter to an instant stop so he could adjust course and shoot off into a different direction.

_Mira and I are on our way! Hold on!_ The Russians voice came back again as Fox continued to juke, watching his shields recharge and collapse over and over.

"Ah, but he also told me what an informant said to him. About Corporal Taylor. Rumor has it, that she was begging and begging for you to save her and yet, you just watched as she was executed, from a nice safe distance." There was a sudden burst of rage over the radio and even Fox winced at the force of it.

"If you say that name out of that filthy mouth of yours one more time, I will destroy you, your family, and everything to do with you! I will wipe your existence from the face of this universe!" there was a fury in his voice that Fox had never heard from him before. One that even scared Fox.

"Good, good. Now why don't you make good on that, so we can show little Amanda what you really are!"


	18. Chapter 18: The Marshall Secret

A rage boiled beneath my skin like none other I had felt in my life. I no longer listened to the frantic radio calls, ignored the constant warning alarms. All that mattered was the destruction of the ship in front of me. It juked and dodged, trying to keep from being hit as I pounded blast after blast into its tough shielding. My fighter shook slightly as I chased him, and I ignored that too. A voice seemed to break through the veil shrouding my brain, like it was coming from the end of a long tunnel.

"Will! You have three bogeys on you! You need to break off, they are going to kill you! Please! Listen to me! This is what he wants, Will!" I shook my head, trying to clear the fog that shrouded my thoughts. My shields were down, and I had at least two missiles chasing me, plus the three fighters Mira had mentioned. I rammed the control yoke back, killed the thrust, and rammed the collective up. The three fighters and the missiles streaked by beneath me and I rammed the throttle back up, rocketing away from them.

"Mira, I holy shit where did you come from?" she had been following the bogeys, and still was as she spoke.

"Me and Krystal came to help, now will you work with me and NOT go nuts again!" I grinned as I shot after one of the scattered fighters. We were only up against four of them. The one I was chasing suddenly rotated on the spot and stopped. I pitched up before rocketing past, narrowly missing the stream of plasma. I rolled back around and fired at one of the other fighters. Before I could even begin to drop his shields, the one I had broken off of was chasing me.

"Alright, Mira, want to try a Sling shot maneuver?" she giggled over the radio as she spoke.

"Oh, I've wanted to try one since I first heard of them!" something in her words struck a memory and I fought to stay focused. Sling shots were only possible in the second gen Arwing, due to a happy mistake in the design. There was a field output by the G-diffusion system between the G-Diffusers that could catch other items, including small rocks, and the nose of another fighter. This could lock the two fighters together, so that, with the exception of particularly strenuous maneuvers, the forward pilot could guide both craft. The point that is caught is also under a tougher G field, causing the area to have less inertia, thus allowing for much greater acceleration as well. I lured three of the four fighters onto my tail.

"Now Mira!" she came in from in front of me. She killed her thrust as she rolled and pitched, her nose missing my canopy by inches. It caught perfectly and her fighter snapped into a position that was parallel to my fighter. There was only one other pilot I had seen able to catch like that. My fighter shook as she fired her thrusters, pushing both of our fighters as I began to roll us. "Break!" I deactivated the G-diffusers as I killed the throttle and pitched downward. If Mira was doing it right, she was pitching up, her collective all the way up and killing her throttle. Sure enough as I continued to pitch, she came into view, just behind the lead fighter. I fired a pair of linked blasts into him as they shot by. I dumb fired all six of my missiles, watching as three connected on the other two fighters. One fighter got hit by both missiles, and he managed to eject. The other fighter was hit with only one, and he pitched up and away from me, letting me easily drop onto his tail. He ejected as his fighter crumpled under the weapons fire.

"Hell yeah that was awesome!" her words hit that same chord in my brain and I was speaking before I could stop myself.

"Damn good job Marshall!" I was surprised when she responded.

"Thanks Will!" the Russian's voice echoed through the radio, sounding furious.

"Razor's edge, pull out! Star Fox Wins this time!" he only had three operational fighters as they shot away from us. I brought my fighter to a stop and glanced over at Mira.

"Mira, you just responded to Marshall?" she raised an eyebrow as Fox and Krystal came to a stop beside us.

"Yeah, that's my last name. So what?" I glanced at her, now totally confused.

"But, I didn't know, I whoa." My head started to spin of images of my two wing men standing side by side with the image of Mira's father between them. They all had the same eyes, and my old wingmen had the same exact fur as Mira's father.

"Will? You okay?" I was instantly speaking.

"I'll explain on the ship, now let's go finish this fight!" Fox's voice rang out over the radio as he spoke.

"Don't have to Hawkins, Pepper just radioed. That encryption key you sent, turned the tide. UEC is retreating. Great work you two!"

()

Mira slumped into her chair as Hawkins grabbed the photo of her parents off her desk.

"Will, what are you doing?" he didn't say a word as he pulled a PDA out of his desk drawer and started flicking through it.

"Here, you see that guy I've got my arm around?" she nodded as she stared at the picture. Something seemed familiar about the Cornerian. Will zoomed the image in on him as he spoke. "Notice anything, funny about him?" she shook her head as she spoke.

"No, Will what are you getting at?" he suddenly slapped the photo of her parents next to the digital photo. Now that the two images were side by side, she realized his old wing man could've been her dad's younger brother. Or more like his son, as she realized the age difference between them.

"He looks just like my dad!" Will nodded and zoomed in on the label at the bottom of the photo. _James Marshal and William Hawkins, January, 2137._ She glanced at the date, unsure as to when it was.

"That picture was taken the day he died. He never knew his father, and his mother had been taken as a slave before he was born. UEC raid freed them at the cost of his mother's life eight years ago. He said the only two things he kept from his dad was his name and his flying skill. That stunt we pulled today, the sling shot, he said the same thing when me and him tried it. And approached it the same way." She racked her brain, memories of a story from her mother stirring in the depths of her mind.

"I, it can't be. My dad, before he and my mother got together, loved this girl from his school days. He had proposed to her and she disappeared without a trace. This was what, twenty years ago?" her mouth dropped as Hawkins spoke again.

"James was about nineteen when he died. I'm sorry, it has to be rough, learning of this after he had died." She felt tears form in her eyes as she spoke.

"I, I had a brother. And you knew him. I, I don't know what to say." She buried her face into her hands as tears leaked out. She felt Hawkins pull her into a hug as he spoke.

"I'm so sorry, I couldn't just keep that from you. And Mira? He was one of the best pilots I had ever met, and he started a while before you. If anyone tries to say you aren't good, just remember, you inherited the same flying skills, and he was a member of the corsairs." She nodded as she sat there, just letting him hold her.

"Will? Thank you for telling me. I would've never known. And I can't believe you didn't know my last name was Marshall. After two months of living in the same room, and you never once asked." She glanced at him as he gave her a sheepish grin.

"Believe me, I feel really stupid about it. If you want, next time we are on Corneria, I'll take you to his grave site. Only if you want to though." She nodded as she sat on her bed. He sat next to her and silence stretched between them. She was about to take her holster off as a Klaxon alarm went off.

"This is McCloud to all pilots, to the hanger immediately! I repeat!" she groaned, given they had only just got back from their last battle.

"Well, looks like it's time to get back out there. At least we're ready to go." He slung his rifle over his shoulder and scooped up both her and his helmets. She caught hers as he tossed it to her. "Well, come on lazy bum." She smiled weakly as she stood and followed him out of the room.

"I'm coming, don't worry." They walked to the hanger together and he grabbed her arm before she could go to her fighter.

"Mira, um, just be careful, okay? I don't want to see you get hurt." She nodded and smiled to him, just about to turn away when he suddenly hugged her. "I mean it. Take extra care right now." She nodded as she hugged him back.

"I will, Will. You too?" he nodded and finally let go, heading for his own fighter. She stood for a second, watching him. She shook her head and climbed into her own fighter, listening to it as it hummed to life.


	19. Chapter 19: Lost

Krystal finished her preflight checks as Fox spoke. She already knew what was going on, she had been in the room when the call had come.

"Apparently, they launched a ground offensive along with a space borne one. Without orbital support, our troops lost a group of key fire bases along a forested ridgeline. It is vital that we recapture these bases. Each one is capable of firing artillery in most of the valley around it. Exact targets will be given to us while we are down there." She lifted her fighter off the rail as the group left the hanger almost as one. Within minutes, they were soaring high above the tattered battlefields. She followed Fox as they strafed a group of UEC positions. Droplets of water started to bead up on her canopy as rain began to fall.

"I don't envy those infantry right now. RADAR is showing one heck of a storm coming this way." Hawkins's voice was as clear as day as the rain started coming down in thick sheets. It made it almost impossible to see outside her Arwing as she attacked enemy positions.

"This is Corporal Jackson of the nineteenth ID, me and my buddy are pinned behind enemy lines! We need air support now!" the Nineteenth was stationed at one of the fire bases, and had been rumored to have been fully wiped out.

"Fox, requesting permission to break off and assist the corporal?" his voice instantly rang across the radio.

"Go, just be quick. We'll need every fighter we have if this gets any hairier." She nodded as she pulled away, finding herself deep behind enemy lines before she found the stranded soldiers. She could just barely see the silvery bolts lancing toward them in the rain. She swooped down, firing her cannon's into the UEC troops surrounding the two soldiers.

"Oh, thank god! We'll make a break for it if you clear us a path!" she started strafing any UEC position between them and the front lines.

"I'm doing my best you two, but you gotta move now!" a trio of blips appeared on her RADAR. She could just barely see the craft in the distance, as well as their distinct shape. "Shit, I have in bound fighters. Looks like it's those razors edge fools!" she continued to strafe enemy ground until she was forced to dodge and juke fire from them.

"Hold on Krystal, I'm on my way!" Mira's voice was panicked as Krystal desperately fought back. She knew she didn't stand much of a chance against the three of them on her own. All three of them managed to drop onto her tail and she juked and rolled trying to shake them. Her fighter suddenly rocked as all three managed to nail her fighter. Her shields dropped and electronics shorted in her cockpit.

"Mayday, mayday, if anyone can hear this, I am hit and I am going down. Mayday, mayday!" she fought to keep her fighter level as she fell out of the sky. She was jerked forward against the straps as the fighter slammed into the thick mud, spraying it everywhere. Her entire body seemed to ache from the suddenness of the impact. Someone banged on the canopy and she glanced out to see the two Cornerian soldiers.

"Ma-am, you need to get out of there, they will be all over us shortly!" she undid the harness and started kicking at the canopy until it popped off. One of the mud covered soldiers yanked her out and sat on her as blaster bolts ripped through the slick mud.

"I'm fine, I can fight!" she shoved him off as she fired her pistol into one of the charging UEC infantry. "Mira, I'm down but I'm fine. Linked up with the stranded soldiers and we are moving out!" the two soldiers led the way to a deep trench that was already flooded knee deep in the downpour.

"Alright. I'm tangoing with those assholes right now. Will support when I can!" she ran through the trench with the soldiers until it began to shallow out, into more of a ditch than a trench. Blaster bolts ripped into the mud around them as she dived to the ground. She cursed as she crawled in the ankle deep water, moving to the edge to see the UEC soldiers. There had to be a full squad shooting at them. She fired back as a round grazed one of the soldiers. He gripped the wound for a second before he popped back up and kept firing. One of the soldiers hollered across to her.

"Damn it, they have us pinned down!" she cursed as she had to flatten into the mud as blaster bolts zeroed in on her position. She glanced over and saw the four man group moving to flank them and fired at them. One of them dropped as the plasma bolt slammed into his exposed face. She only hit one of his comrades, and it harmlessly burned his armor. The three humans all dived for cover as she kept firing.

"Mira, we could use some air cover right about now!" she fired at one of the soldiers as he popped up. The bolt glanced off his helmet and he dropped back down.

"Just hang on, okay!?" another soldier moved to get a better view of her and he collapsed as she nailed his exposed private regions. It was unconventional, but it least it had stopped him. The other two tried to move as one, firing at her as they ran. She flattened into the mud as blots tore into it. She popped up just as one was sliding behind a downed tree. Her bolt nailed his face before it disappeared behind the tree. She had no idea where the last of the four soldiers was.

"Mira! Where are you?" Krystal glanced skyward as she searched for the Arwing. She saw a flaming streak angle in that she quickly recognized as Mira's fighter. "Mira!" her voice was calm as she responded.

"Sorry I'm late!" and her fighter slammed into the enemy position, spraying mud as it skipped off the ground. It tumbled and the nose caught in the mud, causing the fighter to start cartwheeling until the wing caught a tree and it slammed back down, sliding to a stop on some overly large tree roots, almost eighty meters from where she had hit the ground. Krystal was up and sprinting before she even knew what she was doing.

"Someone, anyone?! Mira is down! I repeat, Mira is down, condition unknown!" she slid in the mud as she ran. Hawkins's voice spilled out of her HUD rig.

"Hang in there, I'm dealing with the Raptors. Fox is on his way, just stay where you are!" the canopy on Mira's fighter was thoroughly cracked as Krystal climbed up on it. Almost everything had been torn off in the crash. Mira was conscious inside the cockpit and Krystal fired into the edge of the canopy, letting her pry it open.

"Mira, are you alright?" pain seemed to rip across her face as she spoke. Part of her tank top had been ripped, cutting into the soft flesh above one of her lower ribs. Blood was seeping out of the wound.

"I think my rib is broken." She cursed and helped Mira climb out, setting her up against the side of the fuselage.

"Ok, I have a good fix on you! I just need to deal with this last Raptor and I'll be there! Stay where you are!" a sniper round lanced into one of the Cornerian's foreheads and he slumped to the mud.

"Negative Hawkins, we gotta move!" she grabbed one of Mira's arms and slung it over her shoulder, dragging her deeper into the woods.

()

My fighter raced along the ground, ducking and weaving around triple A positions all across the area. I could barely see the smoke of Mira's crash site ahead of me and I lowered the landing gear. My fighter barely slowed as it hit the ground, letting the fighter simply slide to a stop in the mud. I grabbed my rifle as the canopy opened and thick sheets of rain pummeled my helmet and bare arms. I slipped through the mud as I sprinted toward her wrecked fighter. About two feet in front of the cockpit, the nose had been ripped clean off. The only spot that seemed even remotely normal was the cockpit, with the exception of the blood in the seat.

"Fox, I'm at the crash site! I have tracks and a body. One of the infantry guys." He acknowledged as I shut my radio off. "Oh, please, please be out there Mira!" I followed the tracks deeper into the forest. Mira was having to be half carried along, if I as reading the tracks right. I found a second body lying in the mud, belonging to the other trooper. Nearby, were marks almost as if two people were dragged away, one of them kicking and fighting, the other limp. "Fox, they've been captured. I'm going after them."

"Negative Hawkins, this storm is only getting worse. Get back to the ship, and we'll come back once it blows over." I cursed into the radio as I spoke.

"With all due respect, I am going after my wingman, I am not leaving her down here!" Fox's voice turned to almost pure rage as he yelled at me.

"Damn it Hawkins, the girl I love is out there! Do you think I want to leave her out here?! We can barely see in this storm and it's already messing with our RADAR. We'll just be shot down if we try in this weather!" I cursed as I picked my way back to my fighter. I did my best to wipe mud off before dropping into the cockpit and lifting back into the air.

"I sure as hell hope you're alright Mira."

()

Mira's eyes slowly opened. Her chest seared as she struggled to breath. She was tied onto a table that had been tilted so someone could talk to her face to face. There was only one other person in the room, and he was a human that seemed untrustworthy, and simply evil.

"Ah, miss Marshall, you're awake! My name is Malcolm Noriega, intelligence extrodinar! Now that we have been introduced, we can begin! First, I want to know how we bring down Star Fox. I'm sure you know a way to cripple them." She just glared at him. "Tsk-tsk-tsk that is not the polite way to answer." His fist was moving before she had any chance of reacting. It slammed into her ribcage, causing a massive wave of pain to rip through her body. She nearly blacked out as he spoke. "Willing to be more polite now? Hmm, pity." she didn't respond again and she closed her eyes before he swung. She didn't understand as no blow came. She had strange tugging sensation at her waist, and before she fully understood what was going on, he was forcing himself inside of her.


	20. Chapter 20: Noriega's Plan

Mira slowly opened her eyes. There wasn't a single spot on her body that didn't hurt. She felt blood seeping down her cheek where a bruise had split open. There were multiple spots on her body that bruises had done so. At some point while she was out, someone had moved a screen into the room with a small camera on top of it. Noriega marched in, the same grin on his twisted features as every other time she had seen him.

"So, little mutt, are you going to talk now?" she gave him the same glare she had from the beginning. "Hmm, pity, maybe this will loosen your tongue." He clicked a button on a remote and the screen flickered on, showing Krystal dangling off of a similar table. She was as badly beaten as Mira, if not worse. "She can hear you little mutt." Mira was instantly shouting, pain ripping through her chest as she did so.

"Krystal! Can you hear me?!" her limp body didn't move. "Come on Krystal, respond! Fox is coming for us!" at the word 'fox', Krystal suddenly jerked slightly. Her head raised just enough for her to peek through her shoulder length hair.

"Mira? Oh no, what did I get you into. I'm so sorry." Her voice was weak, and one of her eyes almost didn't open because of the swelling around it. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.

"Don't say that Krystal. It could have been anyone down there, maybe not you even! You didn't cause this!" she remembered Noriega was still in the room, and she glanced at him. His grin was even more terrifying.

"Mira." Her head drooped back down as her eyes closed. Noriega moved over to the table as he spoke.

"Guards, make sure she stays awake. I want her to see this. And miss mutt, I was under the impression that you were mute, and the only communication you were capable of was glaring. So, how do we cripple the Star Fox team?" she still just glared at him. There was a quiet rasp as he pulled out a knife out. He gracefully twirled the knife in front of her face. Her eyes widened as she stared at it. It looked just like the one Hawkins carried. "Do you like it? There is only a few hundred of these left. This particular knife was made over a century ago. I wonder if it's even still sharp." He stopped twirling the knife and jabbed it into her gut. The blade only went in an inch or so, but the pain was still excruciating. She screamed and Krystal seemed to jolt awake on the screen.

"Mira! No! Just hang in there!" Mira screamed again as he jabbed the knife into her again. Her gut felt like it was on fire. Her head drooped down and she watched the blood leaking out of her body. There was a quiet rasp as the knife was put away.

"Well, I am going to go visit your friend. Someone will be along to deal with you today." He stepped out of the room and she fought to stay awake.

"Krystal, what is going to happen to us?" Mira could barely speak. She felt that she was growing weaker by the second.

"Mira, Fox will come for us! Just hang in there!" her mind was starting to become clouded. "Mira! Mira stay awake! You gotta stay awake! Hawkins is coming!" she tried to stay awake, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop herself from slipping away. Fire seemed to course through her veins and she jolted awake. Noriega was now on the screen, standing with a semi-conscious Krystal.

"Why hello there mutt. Glad to see you're awake. Was the electric shock pleasant enough? She glared at the camera as he spoke.

"If you lay a finger on her, I will tear you apart!" Noriega simply laughed as his knife slipped into his hand.

"Oh, don't worry, my fingers won't touch her." Before she could even think to shout, he reversed his grip on the blade and plunged it deep into Krystal's thigh. Krystal screamed, but it was nothing to the shriek that seemed to be emanating out of her own mind. It was as if she was being stabbed a thousand times over. "Ah, boys, we have ourselves a telepath! Delightful!" he slipped the knife into a sheathe and his hand moved off the screen, coming back with Krystal's staff in hand. "That explains this, when you want to fight, or use it you have to think to cause it to open. I have been studying it. It is a fascinating weapon. Let's see how effective it is, shall we?" she started speaking as loudly as she could.

"No! Don't hurt her! I'll do anything!" he grinned as he extended the staff to its full length, before artfully twirling it and stabbing the weapon through Krystal's abdomen. She barely screamed, but there was a telepathic blast only describable as an explosion, ripping through the mind of every person in the area. Even the two soldiers in her room were clenching their heads. The only person that seemed unaffected was Noriega. The scream ebbed away as a soldier marched into the room Noriega was in.

"Sir, the Star Fox team has destroyed our EMP cannons. They are strafing the platform so they can land as we speak." Noriega smiled as he spoke.

"Deploy the Green berets around the other prisoner. I must go speak with her." The soldier looked bewildered.

"But sir, the skies are contested! It's the Star Fox team, they'll shoot you out of the sky!" his grin spread as he spoke.

"No, they are here for her, and since they will have every reason to believe she is here, they won't bother with my ship. I want snipers on the wall and base buildings. When they leave their cockpits, kill them." Noriega marched out of the room. Krystal was limp on the camera feed.

"Krystal? Krystal!?" she still didn't move as Mira shouted at the top of her lungs.

()

I ducked and weaved through the flak field. Slippy shot past, flying Katt's Arwing. He had insisted on helping rescue Krystal. Fox and Falco shot past, missiles fired from their fighters destroying flak turrets.

"Alright, the base the pathfinders reached is coming up! Be ready for anything!" Fox had ordered a group of Cornerian scouts, known as pathfinders, to track where they had dragged Krystal and Mira. The path had led to one of the captured fire bases. Slippy was speaking while I stared at the base, still kilometers away.

"Boss, they are charging EMP cannons! I'm not sure we'll make it with those going. They don't even have to hit us, just get close and we go down!" Fox cursed as he spoke.

"Alright gentlemen, ideas?" I instantly spoke, ramming the fighter's throttle forward.

"Just one, kill every last one of them!" I ignored him as Fox shouted behind me. I pitched down, targeting the first gun. There was a sudden shriek that seemed to fill my mind. I could barely stay in control as I strafed the gun turret, managing to destroy two in a single pass. I had the distinct feeling that I had been stabbed in the leg, even though I knew I hadn't. The gunners fired their EMP cannons, their shots going so widely that they would've missed a human dreadnaught. EMP cannons toke time to charge, giving us a chance to destroy them. The others swept in destroying the remaining turrets.

"Alright, that had to be Krystal, Hawkins, me and you will go down there and pull them out! Falco, Slippy, cover us!" they acknowledged just as a second shriek ripped across the air. This one seemed much more explosive, and none of us were able to truly push it out. "Damn it what are they doing to her!" I saw a transport lift off and shoot away as we landed.

"Fox, maybe we should follow that drop ship?" I dived out of my fighter, rushing to the closest piece of solid cover as Falco and Slippy crisscrossed over us, strafing soldiers. We both had our rifles and I had thrown my infantry rig on over my t-shirt. Fox slid to a stop by a door way he landed close to.

"No, she's here. I can feel her." I nodded to him as I slid to a stop beside him. He hit the door switch and we rolled around the corner. I was instantly moving into the room, firing on the fire team of soldiers that had hunkered down into the room. Fox stupidly stayed in the doorway, instantly pinned down. A grenade and a few more rifle blasts finished off the remaining soldiers as I sprinted deeper into the base, moving down a stair case. Fox was right behind me as we rounded a corner into a long corridor. We fired simultaneously, killing the two guards hovering over one of the cell doors. I ran to it, sliding into the room. My jaw dropped in horror at the sight before me. Krystal was strapped to a table that had been tilted up, so she was upright. She had been stripped of her flight suit, left in the tank top and underwear she wore beneath it. Her body was covered with bruises, most of which had split open, letting small amounts of blood out of the wounds. The most shocking, was the two meter long staff stabbed clean through her abdomen, and the blood still leaking from a slit in her thigh. Fox rushed in, having been seconds behind me. He froze as he saw her.

"Krystal!" he rushed to her, about to yank the staff out of her.

"Wait, Fox, you yank that out and you might kill her! That could be the only thing keeping her from bleeding out!" he stared at it for a second before shoving it deeper, until it was up to its halfway point. She was screaming the whole time he did so.

"I'm so sorry Krystal!" the staff collapsed back down to the size I was used to seeing it, just barely protruding out of her. Fox blasted the chains that held her to the table as I wrapped a bandage on her thigh, just before putting a tunicate on just above the deep wound.

"Alright Fox, get her out of here, I'll go find Mira!" I was just about to step out when Krystal's weak voice stopped me.

"Wait… She's… she'ss not… not here." She could barely open one of her eyes through the swelling around it.

"Where is she!?" Krystal was fighting just to stay awake as she leaned on Fox.

"I… Don't know. Noriega. Was leaving. Going… going to…" I stopped her before she could say more.

"To Mira. Fox, get her out of here, get Falco and Slippy to cover you. As soon as you can, get your ass back down here." He nodded as I sprinted out of the room. I was leaping back into my fighter and leaping into the air with in seconds. The drop ship was at the edge of my RADAR and I rammed the throttle forward as I raced after it. I switched my radio to broadcast on all frequencies as I yelled into it.

"Where is she Noriega!" my finger jerked the trigger on the control yoke, firing rounds into the drop ship until I was able to nail one of the four engines.

"Hawkins, how delightful to meet you finally! I thought you didn't care if your wingmen survived?! You did simply stay in your fighter with the last one!" I fired another linked blast, tearing the bay door off the craft.

"You either tell me where she is, or I blast your ass into smithereens!" the man laughed as he spoke.

"Ah, straight to the point I guess. Why, there is a UEC base ahead of us! Just follow this heading there, and she is in the prison center! Good luck though, you'll be dead before you ever reach her! Cheers!" I fired linked blasts into the other three engines and watched the craft slam into the forests. The UEC base he mentioned was one of the firebases that had been captured. And it was also the heaviest defended of all of them.

"Hold on Mira, I'm coming!" I rammed the throttle forward and lined up to strafe the base. A few turrets exploded as I pulled away and veered back down toward them. And EMP blast rocked my fighter, knocking the power out. My analog controls still worked as I dropped the fighter into the landing pad. It slid on the concrete until it slammed into one of the hangers and my world went black.


	21. Chapter 21: Mira's Rescue?

I shook my head, trying to get my view to stop swimming. The nose of my fighter, instead of crumpling on the hardened hanger, caused the fighter swing into it, slamming the starboard section into the hard wall. I opened the canopy and stumbled out, my weapon in hand. Two soldiers moved to stop me, weapons raised. They were shouting something, but I couldn't understand it through the ringing in my ears. I raised my rifle and somehow managed to shoot both of them. I stumbled and trudged along the ground, falling to my knees more than once as I fought my way to the doorway.

"Mira. I'm coming. Just hold on." My voice seemed to have a mind of its own. A scream seemed to penetrate the fog that had settled over all of my senses. It sounded like Mira's voice. Two more soldiers came out of the doorway and I missed with my first shot. The second and third found their marks, burying into the soldiers chest. I stumbled past and into the doorway. An elevator took me down to the interrogation rooms. I stepped out and narrowly dodged the weapons fire that lanced toward me. I fired back, missing more often than I hit as I tried to shoot back. The plasma fire ceased as Fox's voice seemed to come from the end of a very long tunnel.

"I see his fighter, but I don't see him!" I stepped around the corner and kept marching. I fell onto one of the walls as my view swam. A pair of massive shapes stepped out of side halls. They were a foot taller than a regular soldier, and their backs seemed to bulge out into a giant turtle shell shape. They had old style dome helmets. I raised my rifle, about to fire as one of them hollered.

"Wait, L-T?" he raised the visor on his armor, revealing Ramirez's scarred face. I aimed my rifle and fired every round I had left in it at the two of them. Both collapsed to the ground, one with a neat hole punched in his visor, the other a hole through his thigh. "Hawkins, stop! Why are you working for the Cornerians!?" I kept walking, my voice seeming foreign to me.

"Because the UEC are murderers." He didn't get to respond as I stumbled into the room they had been guarding. I slung the rifle as I used my knife to pry the cuffs off of Mira's hands and ankles. She had been as badly beaten as Krystal, and had two stab wounds on her stomach. Her clothes were in tatters. She fell into my arms, almost knocking me over.

"Will…" her voice was less than a whisper as I pulled an arm over my shoulder and drew my pistol. I stumbled out of the room, dragging her with me. Ramirez had scuttled over to a wall and stripped off the powered armor. He was clutching his leg where the tungsten slug had ripped through.

"Will, wait! Oh god, who did that to her?" my weapon raised and centered on his forehead.

"You, and your UEC did this to her! And eight million other innocent lives!" my finger was tightening on the trigger.

"Will, wait, what are you doing?! Don't shoot! It's me, Ramirez! Your teammate! You're Brother! Don't shoot please man!" I shifted my arm slightly and squeezed the trigger. Concrete blasted off the wall as the plasma slammed into it.

"If I see you again, I won't hesitate." He gulped as he spoke.

"Will, I, what changed?" I kept walking, ignoring him. We reached the elevator and I swayed into the wall as it rose up toward the surface. The ground seemed to be shaking along with it bending and warping in my vision. A searing pain ripped through my leg as I stepped out of the building. Mira and I collapsed to the ground and I wrapped an arm around her as I kept crawling, dragging her with me. The ground shook again as an Arwing roared over.

"I see them! Lucy, land the freighter, hook his fighter up!" I glanced up as the freighter lowered to the ground. A wench was connected to the fighter by the rabbit like figure as a green armored figure rushed out, his Cornerian heavy rifle blasting rounds out. His two floppy ears stuck out of the top of his helmet as he helped me to my feet. I held on to Mira as he half dragged the two of us into the freighter, dropping us on the deck. My vison blurred and started to blacken as the rabbit shot into the room. The darkness consumed me as the ship lurched into the air.

()

Fox stared through the infirmary's glass, his eyes fixed on Krystal. Peppy's voice startled Fox as he spoke.

"How are they?" Fox glanced at Mira and Hawkins lying beside her.

"Hawkins was awake a little while ago. He is heavily concussed from the crash, but he was still coherent. Blast on the back of his thigh is minor. Mira has a badly punctured lung. Doc is hoping he can mend it, but if he can't, she won't be fighting anymore. She'll need a lung transplant. Most of the outer damage is minor and will heal up with time. The two stab wounds weren't deep, but he wants to keep an eye on her stitches. Krystal is in the worst shape of the three of them. She was barely conscious when we found her. Was out by the time she was aboard. If Hawkins hadn't kept me from pulling the staff out, she would be in a body bag. Doc is optimistic about it. Neither her or Mira have woken up." Doc was a very baggy skinned Cornerian with a longer muzzle than most Cornerians. He had been a combat medic for the military before he went to med school.

"What about the fighters?" Peppy seemed quieter than usual.

"Krystal's and Mira's are both totaled. We aren't exactly sure what happened to Hawkins's though. Right wing and G-diffuser are half crushed, and there are some armor scrapes along the bottom. Best guess is that he was hit by an EMP, and his systems came back as he crashed. A few of the shield capacitors fried, all in the nose. Slippy is already working on it." Peppy nodded as silence stretched between them. He sighed as he spoke.

"Well, I asked general Pepper. We're going to Corneria for some rest and relaxation. Plus, need to stock up on parts. Been given a blank check for replacing equipment. I'll have Katt start tracking down another second gen for Mira." Fox nodded as his attention returned to Krystal. Peppy patted his arm before marching off to the bridge. Fox had never seen any of his team mates hurt this badly, with exception of Peppy after the Aparoid threat. They had crossed death so many times, and yet, this was the first time any of them had been seriously injured. He stepped through the door and sat on Krystal's bed, gently stroking her cheek.

"Please be okay Krystal. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't. I love you." She smiled slightly at his touch, as if she knew he was there. Of course, knowing her telepathy, she might just know he was there. Hawkins stirred and he dropped his hand as Hawkins slowly sat up.

"Hey Fox. How are those two?" he had a hand pressed to his forehead as he spoke.

"Neither one has woken. Mira's lung may not be repairable, but, she will be fine. Krystal, she's a wild card. One missed thing and she might slip away. What about you?" he smirked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Like hell. Head ache the size of Texas, and my whole body is sore. But I'm alive." Fox smirked as he let his gaze fall back to Krystal's battered body. "How's my fighter? Was it recoverable?" Fox absently nodded as he spoke.

"Yeah. Minor damage. Slippy is on it." he nodded as he sat there in silence. There was a rustle of cloth on cloth as he glanced over. Hawkins was sliding off the bed. He swayed for a second.

"I'm going to get some real clothes. Always hated patient's gowns." Fox instantly stood, stopping him at the door.

"Wait, Doc wants you to stay in here." Hawkins shrugged as he responded.

"I'll be fine. Wouldn't mind some company though." Fox grunted and they stepped out the door. Although he was swaying slightly, he moved just fine. Hawkins stepped into his cabin and grabbed some clothes before disappearing into the bathroom. Fox had never been in their room. Mira's desk was covered in Knick-knacks. From a jewelry box, hand carved wooden models, a hand mirror, a picture of her parents, as well as other random items. Hawkins's desk had a weapon maintenance kit, a large PDA, and a model second generation Arwing, painted in the corsairs colors. He had also attached hooks to the wall that his armor and weapons hung from, rather than down in the armory.

"Much better." Hawkins was stepping out of the bathroom, stuffing his dog tags in his shirt. He stopped and closed his eyes, his swaying increasing for a few seconds.

"You alright?" he nodded and let the sway subside before he spoke.

"Yeah. Just a pain spike. Come on." He led the way back to the Infirmary. They both sat down on separate beds as they listened to the breath of the other two. Doc marched in as the two of them sat there.

"Hello Fox." His deep voice was surprisingly calming. Hawkins glanced up at him speaking.

"Hello Doctor Bassett Hound." Doc raised an eyebrow at him, the folds of his skin nearly destroying the expression.

"My name is Gregory Townsend. I expect you to use it in my infirmary." Hawkins smirked as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, didn't really know your name." Doc glanced at the two of them, then at Hawkins's clothing.

"I assume Mr. McCloud brought your clothes here?" Hawkins shook his head.

"No, I went and got them. Put em on myself. Fox did go with though." The Doc nodded, surprisingly not angry at him.

"Any trouble?" Hawkins shook his head, instantly clutching it. He sat there for a few seconds before he continued.

"Not really. Leg burns but that's it. Had a few flare ups in my head ache but stayed on my feet. Better than my last concussion actually." Doc nodded and took some notes on his computer.

"Alright. If your flare ups are gone tomorrow, ill release you. Next time, check with me before you go do something. Either of the other two wake up?" Fox shook his head and Doc left. He moved back to Krystal's bed as silence fell in the infirmary.

"Mira?" Will's voice startled him and he glanced over in time to see Mira roll onto her side, facing away from Will. Tears were flowing from her eyes as she grimaced.

"Leave me alone Hawkins." Fox imagined that his own face had to match Will's bewildered one.

"Mira, what did he do? As far as I checked, he saved you and Krystal's lives yesterday?" she glared at Fox as he spoke.

"You too McCloud." His complete confusion rose as he stared at her. "What, think I'm interesting or something? Eyes off jerk wad." Fox looked at Hawkins, who shrugged at his questioning gaze.

"Well, I'm going to go catch Doc. I'm sure he wants to know your awake." He stood to leave as she spoke.

"Yeah, you do that." There was a bitterness in her voice that scared him. Fox stopped at the door as Hawkins stood and moved to in front of her.

"Mira, what's wrong. Talk to me." She just glared at him, not speaking. "Mira, did I do something to you?" she shook her head as she spoke.

"No. Now screw off." He went back to his bed as Fox left the room, as bewildered as Hawkins.


	22. Chapter 22: Mira's Battle

Krystal slowly became aware of light seeping through her eyelids. She could feel Fox's presence, sitting on her bed. Her hand was in in his and she closed her fingers around his.

"Hey Fox." She let a small smile cross her face as he spoke.

"Krystal! You're awake!" she opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"Yes. And thank you for staying by my bed. I could feel you almost the whole time. He returned the smile, happier than she had seen him in months.

"Really?" she nodded and he spoke further. "You've been out for almost three days. A couple more days and we'll be at Corneria. Pepper approved leave for us." His grin faded as she spoke.

"How's Mira?" he dropped his eyes from her as he spoke.

"Physically, better. Not as much as you, but, she was released from the infirmary. The stabs to her stomach were less than an inch deep. Most of the bruising has faded, but some of the cuts just won't heal." Krystal felt confused.

"Well, that's all good news, isn't it?" he nodded and waited to speak, lost in thought.

"She… changed down there. She's been violent to the crew, especially Hawkins. Kicked him out of their cabin, so he's been bunking with bill. She spends all of her time between meals cooped up in her room all day. Never leaves and yells at anyone who tries to speak to her." Bill and Lucy couldn't stand sleeping in the same room together, so they were the only pilots with their own rooms. Worry quickly grew in her heart as Fox spoke.

"Oh my. Fox, can I go talk to her? Well, if you get me some clothes, of course. By the way, did you recover my staff?" he nodded as he stood up, still holding her hand.

"Yeah. And we have to talk to Doc about you leaving, he might say no." he winked as he trotted out the door, his tail disappearing after him. She settled back against her pillow to wait. The door slid open and she sat up to see Doc walk in.

"Oh, hey Gregory. It's good to see you!" he froze for a second, and she knew he was smiling, but his skin was so baggy that she just couldn't tell.

"Krystal! You're awake! This is, this is great!" she laughed as he rushed to his desk and grabbed some of his instruments.

"I just gotta do another scan of you if you don't mind. Just want to see how things are doing in there. Your cuts and bruises have healed very well. With a few more treatments, none of the cuts will scar. The knife wound on the other hand, may still. Same as your gut." She nodded as she lay flat. He ran the scanner over her a few times before displaying it on the screen.

"Well, the hairline fractures around your eye have started healing already. Mind you, those will be painful for a few weeks, but they will heal just fine. There is a bruise on your femur I would like to keep an eye on. We think the knife clipped it on the way through." The screen changed to a scan of her organs and muscle structure. "I already have you on pain meds for that. I had to use Bio-degradable patches on your internal injuries. They have formed thin membranes but nothing more. I do not recommend eating solid food at this time. Or particularly acidic food for that matter. I'll prepare some fairly tasty nutrient shakes for you. And your muscle will need at least a week or two before I'd let you walk without crutches. You may rip it if you don't. I've injected some muscle relaxers into it so it won't work real well. All in all, it'll will be a while for a full recovery, but you will recover." She smiled at him as she spoke.

"Well that all sounds great Doc!" he nodded as he put his scanner down.

"Well, you're allowed to move around the ship, but don't go down to Corneria until you clear it with me. I'm sure you'd like some clothes, so I'll call Fox up. He probably would like to know." She spoke up, trying to stop him.

"Fox already knows. He left to grab some clothes." Just as she said this, Fox strode in, some of her clothes tucked under his arm.

"Oh hey Doc, she allowed to leave?" he nodded and Fox continued. "Alright. I'll stick with her." Doc's voice echoed to them as he slipped into his office.

"Oh, Krystal, I want you sleeping in the infirmary for a few days, if you don't mind." She smiled as she called back.

"That's fine with me!" Fox helped her dress and grabbed a pair of crutches off the wall, adjusting them for her. She finally spoke as they marched out of the medical bay. "Fox, do you remember when we destroyed the Aparoid queen?" he raised an eyebrow at her and chuckled.

"I don't think I'm forgetting that any time soon." She chuckled herself as she spoke.

"Well, I just want to know what happened. I mean, with humanity. They sent what, one hundred and fifty ships to help with the Aparoid threat. And they got there after we had already destroyed them. Then the UEC started sending aid ships by the hundreds. Helping find survivors, rebuilding Corneria city. Trade had increased. We were becoming, more or less, allies. What changed?" they stopped as Fox stared at her.

"I don't know. But that doesn't make any sense. If this war was about greed, they wouldn't have sent those ships." They stood there, thinking, until Krystal remembered what they had been doing.

"We should keep moving. Mira?" he smiled and nodded, walking with her through the hall. He kept glancing at her as they walked. She could feel the happiness and relief simply radiating off of him.

"Krystal, before I forget, I love your hair. You look better with it longer." She grinned at him as he spoke. She had decided to let her hair grow out a few months ago.

"Oh, it probably looks like crap right now." He brushed some rouge hairs back down as he spoke.

"No, it always looks beautiful." She felt blood rush to her cheeks as he spoke. Her tail flicked nervously.

"Fox, you shameless flirt. What happened to the cute, always embarrassed around me person. Now it's me that's always embarrassed." He laughed as she spoke.

"Well, I asked you out for one. And I guess it was just time for the tables to turn." They both laughed as he knocked on Mira's door. All thought of laughter disappeared as Mira shouted through the door.

"Leave me alone!" she frowned as she spoke through the door.

"Mira, its Krystal!" she bit her lip as she waited for a response.

"So what? You heard me!" she sighed as she turned to Fox.

"Can you override the door lock?" he nodded as he punched in the command. The door slid open and Krystal crutched in. the room was almost pitch black, and she could barely see Mira sitting on her bed, facing the door. Krystal slowly lowered onto the foot of it as Mira shied away.

"I told you to leave me alone." Krystal raised her eyebrows at her as she spoke.

"I thought you would've wanted to know that I was awake. We are friends, right?" she laughed, coldly and mirthlessly.

"And where did you get that idea? Ha, you're funny!" the cold glare she was shooting past her curled up knees looked dangerous.

"Mira, what's wrong? This isn't you." She laughed again, just as coldly.

"And how would you know? I met you only a couple of months ago." Krystal felt the pain in Mira's heart, but she couldn't get a read on her thoughts.

"Mira, we have fought together. You have always been the one looking out for our welfare and the humans." She glared at Krystal so furiously that one might think the next thing she looked at might explode.

"Well, I was wrong too. Humans are just a bunch of soulless murderers. They only care about the blood they spill." Krystal felt confused as Mira spoke.

"Mira? What about Will? Surely you don't…" Mira cut her off as she spoke.

"He's just waiting to stab us in the back." Krystal fought down her bewilderment as she spoke.

"Mira, this isn't you! You are a kind and loving person, and I thought you trusted your wing man?" she chuckled as she spoke.

"And who says that all wasn't just an act." Krystal stared at her for a second, fighting the urge to yell at her.

"Mira, you can't act in front of a telepath. It's why I hate old style theater." She heard the rasp of metal on metal and froze.

"Get out." There was a dangerous note in her tone of voice.

"No." Krystal watched as Mira pointed Hawkins's blaster at her chest.

"I told you to get out, otherwise, I will shoot you right here!" something kept Krystal riveted to the bed.

"Mira, I am not going to leave you like this. If you want to shoot me, so be it, but I am not leaving." Mira suddenly shot to the door. It slid open and she heard Fox shout as he was shoved out of the way.

"Krystal, was she carrying a gun?" she nodded as she spoke.

"Call Will. She isn't going to listen to me." He nodded as he punched commands into his wrist computer.

()

I startled slightly as my wrist vibrated. I answered and Fox's voice burst through the unit.

"Will, we need your help. Mira just threatened Krystal with your pistol! She ran off and we don't know where." I sat up from where I had been trying to relax in my temporary bunk.

"I… okay. I think I know where she went." I hung up as I grabbed my leather jacket and trotted out of the room. The elevator whisked me down to the vehicle bay. The vehicle bay and the hanger used to be one and the same on the Great Fox. During her construction, they changed the design, building a large hanger floor instead of catapults, letting them carry more fighters. The vehicle bay sat in the area beneath the Hanger, sealed off from space unless deploying the two Land Masters from it. It still deployed out of the same main door though, just beneath the two main cannons. People hardly went down there, and the lights were never on because of that. I had only been in there once before, when I had been looking for a quiet place to stay. I walked through the doorway and let it close me into darkness. My eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and I searched the bay for her. It wasn't long before I heard her sobbing. She had curled up between the wheels on one of the Land Masters.

"Mira." I crouched in front of her as I spoke. She jumped as she glanced up.

"Leave me alone Will!" I stared at her for a second before I held my hand out.

"Give me the gun Mira." She shook her head as she aimed it between her legs, straight at my chest.

"Leave me alone or I swear I will shoot you!" I didn't flinch as I spoke.

"No you won't. You would never shoot someone you cared about." She almost yelled as she spoke.

"Yes I will! Especially if it's you!" I was very calm as I spoke slowly and quietly.

"Then shoot me. Because I will never leave your side. And if that means you have to shoot me, then so be it." her voice shook as she responded.

"You would risk me killing you?" I nodded as gently as I could. "Why!? I'm worthless! I can't fly, I can't fight! I have no family! I'm not worth anything!" I gently placed my hand on the weapon, flicking the safety in place as I did so. The safety disconnected the battery in the magazine from the laser and magnetic rail in the weapon, preventing it from firing.

"You are worth something to me." She retorted so quickly I almost jumped.

"No I'm not." I nodded as I continued.

"I wouldn't have tried so hard to find you if that was true Mira." She snarled at me as I spoke.

"Then you're a moron." She moved so fast that I almost didn't know what she had done. Her fist slammed into my face and I let go of the gun, stupidly placing my hand on my cheek. The pistol was rammed up against her temple and she pulled the trigger. She pulled the weapon away from her head, confused. Before she could recover, I yanked it out of her hand and sent it skidding away. "I, what, how?" tears filled my eyes as images of what she had just tried to do filled my mind.

"Mira, what did he do to you? You can talk to me." Tears ran freely down her face as she shoved me out of the way and sprinted out of the bay. I instantly called up Fox.

"Fox, we need to talk. Go into my room, grab every weapon in there and lock it into the armory. Do the same with every weapon on the ship and lock down the armory! Pass it off as pre leave prep or some shit like that. Do not alarm the crew." he sounded confused on the radio.

"Will? What happened down there!?" I just shook my head and closed the link.


	23. Chapter 23: Beginning of the End

Fox paced back and forth in his room. Krystal was lying on the bed as they waited for Hawkins to get back. Fox jumped as the door opened and he walked in, tossing his blaster onto the desk. They both stared expectantly at him. As he sat in one of the chairs.

"Well, Hawkins what happened?" Krystal kept her voice quiet and calm as she spoke.

"Fox, can I speak to you. Alone." Fox stopped pacing as he stared at Hawkins.

"Anything you can say to me, you can say to Krystal." Hawkins let his head drop into his hands.

"I found Mira down in the vehicle bay. She was curled up between the tires of one of the Land Masters. She… she just gave me the weapon and ran out of the bay." Fox could see in the way he was sitting that hadn't been the full truth.

"That isn't everything, is it Will?" he didn't look at Krystal as she spoke.

"Fox, may I talk to you? In private? Now." Fox raised an eyebrow at him.

"Were in private right now." He glanced nervously at Krystal as he spoke.

"No offense, but without Krystal. I don't mean to be rude, please don't take it that way Krystal." She was already glaring at him.

"Alright fine. Krystal, I'll be right back. I promise." Hawkins stood and followed him out the room. Fox rounded on him as soon as the door closed.

"What the hell is it!" he shook his head and led the way through the ship. He stopped by the door to the briefing room and pointed inside. Fox opened the door and stepped into the room. Will sealed the door and sat down.

"Fox, Mira tried to kill herself." Fox felt his heart skip a beat as Hawkins spoke.

"What?" he nodded as he continued.

"I had my hand on the weapon, she hit me. Put the weapon to the side of her head and pulled the trigger." Fox stared at him for a second, confused.

"Why didn't it go off?" he smirked slightly as he spoke.

"I turned the safety on. Did you lock down the armory?" Fox shook his head.

"No. I did grab your gear out of her room though." He punched in to call peppy on the com line. "Peppy, lock the armory. No one in or out and instruct any crew with personal weapons to lock them up or keep them on them at all times. Now!" Peppy acknowledged as he finished.

"Don't tell Krystal. Okay? Let's keep this between us. I'll try to work with her for now. Krystal will just kinda rush in. and that would be bad for her. Ok? I know they are friends, just, Krystal's social skills are, well lacking. Just don't tell her please." Fox nodded as Hawkins stood and started pacing.

"I won't Hawkins, I promise. You look like this is really bothering you." He nodded as he continued to pace.

"One of my squad mates killed himself in basic. I was right there when he did it. So yeah, this bothers me." There was an angry tone in his voice. If Fox didn't know better, he would've thought Hawkins was blaming him.

"Alright, I got to tell Peppy. Keep me up to date. And I sure as hell hope you know what you're doing." Hawkins nodded and Fox walked back to his cabin. He sat on the edge of the bed, almost ignoring what Krystal said when he walked in.

"So Fox, what did he say?" She sat up as she spoke.

"Just wanted to know a few things, that's all." She forced him to look directly at her as she spoke.

"Don't lie to me Fox. I know that's not true." Fox looked away as he spoke, shoving her out of his mind.

"I promised I wouldn't tell you. Simple as that." She glared at him as she grabbed her crutches and got to her feet. "Where are you going?"

"Well, clearly, you don't trust me as much as I thought. So I might as well leave right now." Fox was completely confused.

"Wait, Krystal, what? This is nothing to do with whether I trust you or not!" she didn't even make any attempt to acknowledge that he spoke as she crutched out the door. "Damn it, can I do nothing right with her?!" he kicked his dresser as he shouted.

()

Krystal did her best to settle into one of the benches in the galley. She glanced around the room, spotting Mira alone in one of the corners. She had a tray in front of her that she wasn't eating out of. Hawkins and bill were sitting together, laughing about something. She fought the urge to yell at him and settled on bombarding his mind.

_Will, get your useless ass over here before I kick it over here!_ He flinched slightly as he continued speaking to bill.

_Give me a second Krystal. And what did I tell you about staying out of my head._ She glared at him as he finally got up and walked over to her. As soon as he wasn't facing bill, his smile disappeared. He sat down across from her as he spoke.

"What Krystal?" there was a certain impatience in his words.

"Why aren't you talking to Mira?" he rolled his eyes as he muttered something under his breath. He had somehow managed to shove her out of his head, keeping her from knowing what he had said.

"Because she does need some space. If we constantly hound her, she will never get better!" Krystal glared at him. From Krystal's point of view, she was being given plenty of space. About ten feet of it where ever she went actually.

"And she also won't if you don't talk to her! We arrived at Corneria a few minutes ago! Why don't you take her somewhere quiet?!" he glanced at Mira, sitting alone in the corner.

"Believe it or not, I do want to. I want to take her to her brothers grave, but I really don't think she will right now." His expression softened as he stared at her.

"Her brother?" he nodded as he continued.

"My old wingmen was her half-brother. Didn't realize it until that dog fight with razor's edge. Long story." She glanced at Mira for a second, trying to read her thoughts. All she could get was deep sadness and pain.

"So go ask her. Right now. At least ask if she will." His head dropped into his hands as he spoke.

"Fine. But if she punches me again, I'm doing the same to you." He was standing up as he spoke and was already half way across the room before she could say anything. She closed her eyes as she focused on Hawkins's presence. She wasn't even sure if she could, but she had heard stories of telepaths being capable of see through another's eyes. She almost startled as she was suddenly seeing herself sitting down in front of Mira, until she realized that it was Hawkins doing so.

_"Mira, may I speak to you?" she glanced up from her food, glaring at him._

_ "If it's about what happened in the vehicle bay, you better just keep walking." He looked down at his boots before looking at her._

_ "And if it's not?" Mira stayed silent, staring at her untouched food. Hawkins took it as permission to continue. "I want to keep the promise I made to you. Take you to your brother's grave. Tomorrow." She glanced up at Hawkins, the faintest trace of sadness in her eyes. It almost instantly disappeared._

_ "What? So you can get some hired goons to kidnap me or something? Or just finish me off yourself?" _she could feel Hawkins's heart dropping, as if it was her own.

_"Mira, I would never hurt you. We can go tonight if you want. I'll leave my blaster, and you can call Fox about it." Mira was quiet, as if lost in thought. Apprehension filled him as he continued to speak. "If you don't want to, it's fine, really. I just thought I'd offer." He started to stand as she suddenly spoke. There were tears in her eyes._

_ "Ok fine, call Fox! And I don't care if you bring the damn blaster when we go, if you're going to kill me, you'll do it with or without it." he stood over her for a second, tears stinging his own eyes as he spoke._

_ "We'll go now. Just let me call Fox. And you might want to dress a little warmer. It's chilly in Corneria City right now." Mira nodded and didn't move. Hawkins tapped a few commands into his wrist computer. Fox answered almost instantly._

_ "Need something Hawkins?" he absently nodded as he spoke._

_ "I want permission to use one of the shuttles. I want to take Mira planet side for something. We should be back late tonight." Fox instantly responded, with no hesitation at all._

_ "Alright. Take all the time you need down there. I'd prefer if you're back by morning, but if you guys end up staying longer, it'll be fine." _She felt Hawkins's gratitude as he spoke. _A small smile splayed across his face._

_ "Thank you Fox. We'll be leaving shortly."_

_ And Krystal, get the hell out of my head._ Her eyes jerked open as she felt his thought she was shocked at how tired she suddenly was.

_How did you know? _He was glaring at her from across the room, walking just behind Mira.

_You're not that hard to feel._ The two of them left the room and she let her head droop into her hands. Krystal jumped as Katt's voice whispered in her ear.

"Wakie wakie sleepy head!" she jolted awake, now in the darkened cafeteria.

"How long was I asleep?" Katt smiled as she dropped into the seat in front of her.

"Hour or so. Doc wants you back to the infirmary. You and Fox got into another fight didn't you?" Krystal nodded as she reached for her crutches.

"Yes, How did you know?" she grimaced as she spoke.

"Fox told me to go get you and take you back to the infirmary. Didn't want to do it himself. Plus, he's entered the galley about four times and left because you were in here." She helped her off the bench as they walked back to the infirmary, Krystal's heart sinking.

"Well, I'm done with him, so I don't care." Katt, looked bewildered, but didn't respond as they walked along in silence.


	24. Chapter 24: The Graveyard

Flame rose up over the nose of the shuttle. I glanced back into the troop bay at Mira. She was gripping her sides, almost as if she was cold. Something about her expression said that it had nothing to do with the temperature. I was about to speak when a female voice came over the radio.

"This is Corneria Tower to G-F Shuttle Two, please state your business and destination." I keyed up the radio system as I spoke.

"Corneria City, and no official business." Her voice toke a few seconds to come back.

"Alright, private landing pad or public?" I knew the Star Fox team owned a small headquarters and landing pad, but I didn't know where it was.

"Public." She took even longer to respond this time.

"Alright, set course to three-zero-two and altitude of three thousand meters. I will transfer you to local ground control momentarily." Mira suddenly stepped into the cockpit and stood just behind the copilot's chair.

"Finally deem my presence worthy?" I glanced over to her as I spoke.

"No. just like the view." The barest trace of a smile crossed her lips. Corneria City was straight ahead of us. Unlike most of the cities on the planet, Corneria City was entirely man made, out of an underwater mount and a lot of dirt. It was built after Andross tested bio weapons on the surface of the planet, deep into the largest ocean, to limit exposure to contaminants. It almost immediately became the capital city.

"Well, at least your smiling." She shot a glare at me before sitting down. A new voice came over the radio, male this time.

"This is Corneria ground control. Please state your load for dis-embarkment." I smirked as I responded.

"Two people. And we need a hanger too." Silence stretched on as we drew closer and closer to the city.

"Alright, what is the names and place of birth of passengers, as well as a list of all dangerous items leaving the craft?" I raised my eyebrow as I spoke to Mira.

"Well, security is definitely tighter." I clicked the radio back on. "William Hawkins, Earth, Mira Marshall, Corneria. One M-Six Individual Combat Weapon System, Compact. Five Magazines of ammunition. All not staying for more than a day or two, tops." The response was almost instantaneous.

"Please redirect your craft for CDF HQ to submit yourselves to security. If you do not comply, you will be fired upon." I sighed and cursed as I changed course, skirting around the city to a smaller island less than a kilometer away.

"Damn. At least they are taking Human threats seriously." I glared at her before I brought the craft in to one of the landing pads. An entire squad of infantry were waiting for us. They shouted as the ramp lowered.

"Hands up! Toss the weapon on the pad and stay aboard your ship, one sudden movement and we grease you!" I put my hands up, but made no motion of tossing my weapon.

"With all due respect, no. My weapon stays with me. We are members of the Star Fox team." One of the soldiers laughed as he spoke.

"Bull shit, no way could a mutt and a human ever make the cut for Star Fox! Nice try jack ass, blaster on the ground now!" I cursed as I sent it sliding down the ramp. Another voice rang out from across the courtyard as one of the soldiers grabbed my weapon.

"Sergeant what the hell are you doing?!" there was something familiar about both the voice and the figure that came striding across the concrete.

"This human says he's Star Fox. No damn way, so we are detaining him and his little friend, sir." I suddenly recognized the man as he drew close enough to see the eye patch with his boxer like appearance.

"William Hawkins _is_ a member of Star Fox you idiot! I wrote out a recommendation to McCloud myself! Now give him his weapon back and leave him be!" I smiled as I trotted down the ramp and shook the man's hand.

"Jeremy! Damn man, when did you go military?!" the private that had my weapon handed it back to me and I holstered it.

"Pepper asked me to when the war broke out. It's Captain Winters now. Who's your lady friend?" I glanced back at Mira where she had sat down on the shuttle's ramp.

"Mira Marshall. My new wingman. Feels like a lifetime since I flew with you and the Corsairs." He nodded, a single eyebrow raised.

"Marshall eh? Well I'm sorry about the hassle. What are you two doing down here?" my eyes rested on Mira for a few seconds as I spoke.

"Visiting her brother's grave. James Marshall's grave." He raised both of his eyebrows at that.

"As in, your old wingman? I wasn't aware he had a sister." I laughed slightly as I spoke.

"Well, he did say he found his dad, and her dad is the name, rank and medal he found three years ago. Half-sister really but, if you look at her eyes, you can see him. They both got their eyes and their flying skills from their father." He grinned as he gestured for us to follow.

"Miss Marshall! I'll give you a lift to the city. Not let you be hassled any further." I grinned as I walked with him to one of the military shuttles.

"Thanks Winters. Give me a number and I'll call you when we need to head back." he pulled a card out and handed it to me before climbing into the shuttle. Mira and I sat down in silence as he lifted the shuttle off the ground. Mira stared at her shoes. "Mira?" she ignored me as we flew on. The shuttle final jolted slightly as it landed and the bay door dropped.

"Alright, here you go. And I'll be ready whenever you two call." I nodded as we marched out onto the busy street. Every Cornerian that passed gave me a wide berth as they hurried by, trying to stay as far away from me as possible.

"Well, you're not exactly well liked." I glanced at her as she walked along, kicking at every small stone she passed and unwilling to do more than glance up.

"Well, what did you expect? Champagne and presents?" she shrugged as we turned into the grave yard. None of the graves were more than five years old, and the majority were from three years ago. I lead her to the back of the graveyard, quickly finding James's small head stone. "Here we are. He never was one for fancy things." she was no longer glaring at everything as she knelt down and touched the gravestone.

"Are you sure he…" I cut her off before she continued.

"Yes. He did find his father. Amongst the posthumously decorated heroes of the Aparoid threat. Same medal as the one in your drawer. I'd eat my own arm if I was wrong." She stayed silent for a minute as she sat there. She suddenly turned away and started walking away. "Mira?" she stopped and spun her glare coming back.

"Why didn't you let me kill myself? I have nothing left in this world! My entire family is dead, I can't fly, and I can't even protect my team mates!" the sun was setting behind the skyscrapers as she yelled at me. I was very quiet as I spoke.

"Because you are a good pilot, and a very good friend." She turned away from me as I spoke.

"No I'm not. I got shot down when Krystal needed me most. I slowed her down on the ground. She could've gotten away if I hadn't been there. She would have never been stabbed, or beaten." I didn't understand how, but I knew she was crying.

"He broke you, didn't he?" she nodded as I walked over to her. I placed a hand on her shoulder as her entire body seemed to shake.

"Just before he stabbed Krystal. I was going to tell him everything he wanted to know, just to protect her. He had beaten me, stabbed me, hit me with an overcharged stun rod, electrocuted me, and… and I wanted to keep him from doing that to her. He stabbed her anyway." I gently turned her to face me and pulled her into a hug.

"Shh, you did what you could. And she's going to be fine." She started sobbing in my arms, pressing her hands to her eyes.

"For what good it did! She survived because of you and Fox. And Noriega, he… he… I…Will he raped me."

()

Mira felt Will's muscles tense up as she spoke.

"I… I should've been there. He never should've gotten the chance. I should've followed your trail, regardless of what Fox said. I'm so sorry Mira. Damn it I screwed up again! I wasn't there when you needed me!" he stopped hugging her and walked off, his hands on the back of his head. He shouted out a stream of profanity as she gingerly approached him.

"Will, it isn't your fault you got paired with me. I'm sorry. I'm just useless. Noriega made that clear to me. I just don't have anything I want to live for anymore." He wouldn't look at her as he spoke.

"Mira. When jam… your brother, died, there is something not well known about it. By all evidence, when his G-Diffuser blew, he should have landed in the crowd. Not the field underneath us. There was about a quarter of a second window that he could've reacted in, and he did. Saved hundreds of people. If you're going to die, make sure you're dying for something, like him. He wouldn't have wanted you to give up." She stared at the grave stone, memories of all her failures, the teasing for being what she was. The taunts, even the soldier's words just a few minutes prior.

"Will, I'll never be like him. I'm not as good as him! And I can't make a decision like that!" Will was silent as they stood there. He was very quiet when he finally spoke.

"You're more like him than you know. You intentionally crashed your fighter into an enemy formation. And you may not be the best pilot, but you made it onto the Star Fox team. The corsairs may be good, but you're amongst gods as far as the people are concerned." She didn't respond as he spoke. She stayed silent as he continued. "Look at that grave there, and tell me you want to kill yourself? Go ahead, say it."

"I want… I want to… I can't say it." she collapsed onto her knees, sobbing. She felt his arm over her shoulder as he spoke.

"Because you know it isn't the right way. The right thing is rarely ever the easy way. And killing yourself, is most definitely the easy way out." She opened her eyes and looked at him. He had one of the softest expressions she had ever seen in her life.

"I… I… Will, why do you care so much? Why do you try so hard to protect me?" he looked away, almost as if he was staring into the past.

"James gave me my wings. I had never wanted to fly until I met him. I lost that with him. Then I met you." He smiled slightly as he spoke. She closed her eyes and let her head rest on his shoulder. "You take away my girl, you take away my wings. You take away my wings…" she finished his statement for him.

"You take away my will to fly." He pulled her closer as she finally let all of her pain out and cried. "Will, thank you, for everything. It feels strange to trust someone so much after so little time." She opened her eyes to see him nod.

"I'm always here for you. And don't thank me yet, we haven't even reached hell yet." She smirked as he playfully punched her arm and helped her to her feet.

"Yeah, but I get the feeling you'll be with me every step of the way, won't you?" He just smiled as he walked with her out onto the street.


	25. Chapter 25: Hawkins' Offer

Fox jumped as the door to his cabin opened. Krystal was standing in the doorway.

"Finally speaking to me now?" she glared at him as she crutched in, speaking almost instantly.

"Where is Mira and Will? They should be back by now?" Fox sighed at the impatience in her voice.

"Krystal, they are fine. Spent the night in the old HQ, and have requested the flight team to join them. Falco, Katt, and Slippy are on their way down now." The expression on her face gave Fox the impression that he was about to get hit.

"And you didn't tell me!?" Fox leaned away from her in the chair.

"I only just got the message about twenty minutes ago! Falco and them over heard it! I'm working on letting everyone know right now!" she continued to glare at him.

"And you couldn't have, you know, called me or something!" she stormed right back out of the room. He sighed as he finished the two ship wide messages, including Hawkins's invite to one of the local bars.

"Damn it, when did I screw this up so badly between us?" he stood and stretched before packing a small pack. He trotted over to Hawkins's new cabin and Mira's and collecting small bags of their stuff as well. He moved off to the air lock, knowing that Rob had already docked with the orbital gate, and there should be a shuttle down to the city in only a handful of minutes. He jogged through the docking tube and into the gate. He could just barely see Falco's head sticking up above the crowd. He shoved his way over to them and was instantly greeted by Katt.

"Oh, hey Fox, I didn't know you were coming?" he smirked as he spoke.

"Did you miss Hawkins asking for a change of clothes? Not that he has a whole lot of options. Did you know he only has a couple of white t-shirts and cargo pants civilian wise?" she chuckled as they shuffled into the shuttle. There was a new security station in the terminal. Falco was stopped as he tried to march past them.

"Your bag sir." He smirked as he spoke.

"Seriously, I'm a member of the Star Fox team. Do you really need to check my bag?" the guard stared at him.

"I wouldn't give a fuck if you were general Pepper himself. Now give me your bag, or I'll put you the stockade." Fox stepped forward and slung all three bags he had on the table.

"Falco, just give him the bag. I'd rather not have to pull your bail money out of my personal account." He cursed and tossed his bag next to fox's. They went through a scanner one by one and collected their bags. The shuttle ride itself was uneventful. He sighed as he let the others lead the way. They were all laughing and joking as they marched, not one noticing him dropping farther and farther back. He reached the old headquarters building and sank to the wall outside. He assumed the others had already gone in. the night was surprisingly cool as a light breeze rustled his fur. He leaned back and closed his eyes. A voice suddenly startled him as Hawkins sat down next to him.

"Hey Fox. Figured you could use one." He was holding a beer out to him. He accepted it and toke a drink from it.

"Thanks. Brought you two some clothes." He gestured to the bags as he settled back in.

"I see that. Mira is, well she's on the right road. Doesn't mean it will be easy. Or that she's good." Fox nodded as they sat in silence. "Fox, the others have left for the bar. Want to join us?" he shook his head.

"Nah. I'm fine right here." Hawkins nodded as he stood, dropping the empty bottle onto his lap.

"Alright. There's more in the fridge, Winters stocked us up. Take care Fox." He dropped his hands into his pockets as he walked away. Fox stared up at the starless sky as he leaned up against the building.

"Krystal, what did I do to you?"

()

Falco splayed himself into the corner of the bench, spreading out as much as he possibly could. Katt smacked his gut and he instantly curled up.

"Make room Falco!" he growled as the group settled in around him.

"Excuse me guys, I was sitting there!" Katt grinned as she spoke.

"Yeah, _was _sitting there. Come on Falco, got a problem with _getting friendly_?" she scooted closer to him and grabbed one of his arms. He instantly tried to pull away.

"Well, paws off at least, sheesh!" she released his arm and put on a small pout.

"Wait, where's Will?" Slippy was the one who spoke.

"And Fox? He ever show up at the H-Q" Falco was now glancing around the bar looking for both of them. Winters suddenly spoke up as he was searching.

"Well, I saw Will go talk to Fox back at the HQ, you guys were too focused on going to the bar. He was just sittin outside the HQ." Slippy nodded as Katt glanced around.

"Wait, what happened to Mira then, I could swear she came with us?" Falco almost instantly spoke up, pointing at one of the far corners of the bar.

"She's over there. Went over after grabbing herself a drink." Katt peered into the dark corner. Falco himself could just barely make out her outline.

"So, Captain Winters, eh? You were the lead plane for the Corsairs, right?" Sippy's voice was filled with admiration.

"Yeah, I was. Damn, I do miss those days. And William and James. Damn they were a good pair." Slippy was the only one who seemed to understand.

"His old wingman, right?" Winters nodded as he downed a shot of the much stronger alcohol he had purchased a bottle of. They all glanced up as the door opened. Hawkins stepped through and went straight to the bar.

"Hey, Mr. Paranoid, over here!" Falco's voice echoed across the bar. He waved to them as he got a beer and trotted over to Mira. They seemed to be in a deep conversation.

"Is he the only person she has talked to all night? I wonder what they are talking about." Falco glanced at Katt, noticing the almost dreamy look in her eyes.

"Hopefully re-teaching her how to be social!" Katt glared at him as he spoke. Hawkins suddenly stepped away and trotted up to them.

"Alright, how many did I miss?" Falco laughed as he spoke.

"Not even one round! Why's Mira sittin by herself?" he grimaced as he glanced over at her.

"Don't worry about it Falco. Fortuna was hard on her, she just needs some time, that's all." He grunted as Hawkins pulled up a chair.

"Well, Krystal seemed fine!" Katt, Slippy, and Hawkins all glared at him as one. "What!?"

"Are you that thick headed Falco? Fox is sitting by himself, I overheard Doc sayin she could come down, as long as she didn't over stress herself and yet, she didn't. And Fox sent _me _to go get her back to the infirmary a couple nights ago." Falco looked at the three of them, confusion rising. Winters seemed to be the only other one confused, which was reasonable since he didn't serve on the ship with them.

"But those two are always fighting!" they seemed to roll their eyes as one.

"Falco, has Krystal ever moved out of the room they share? Cause I overheard her talking to Lucy about bunking with her." Falco stared at Slippy and shrugged.

"Well, we can't help it! So I say, let's drink!" and for once, the group listened to him and they all raised their glasses.

"To the Star Fox team!" Hawkins's toast was repeated by everyone until it reached Falco.

"The biggest bunch of bad asses the UEC has ever had to deal with!" the entire table rang with agreement as they chugged down their beers. "Another round?" the entire group nodded as one. Hawkins and Winters agreed to go get it. "Well Slippy, what do you think of our personal human?" Slippy rolled his eyes as he spoke.

"I think he's pretty smart. Half the upgrades I did to your Arwing are from him." Falco grunted as Slippy continued. "What about you Falco?" he shrugged as he spoke.

"He aint a bad pilot. Can't say I know him beyond that though, Katt?" She shriveled as her tail flicked.

"I think he is really sweet. I mean, he offered to help me fix the Catspaw. And he takes care of Mira. Although, he needs to just ask her out and be done with it." Hawkins's voice penetrated the group as Katt froze.

"I heard that Katt. And no." he distributed the fresh drinks as he spoke.

"Well, Winters, what about you?" he shrugged as he spoke.

"I'm guessing you're talking about Hawkins. He is one of the best pilots I've ever seen. And one of the most honorable. In short, my door's always open for ya." He clapped Hawkins's shoulder as he spoke.

"Well, Hawkins, what do you think of us?" he glanced around the group as Katt spoke.

"Falco, you're an ass, you're cocky, but you are a damn good pilot. Katt, you are one of the most stubborn people I have ever met. But at least you got a good heart in your chest. Slippy, I like ya, and let's leave it at that." Everyone but Falco laughed.

"What about the others? Krystal, Mira, Fox?" he shrugged as he spoke.

"Mira, she's a good wingmen." Falco got the impression that he thought a lot more than that about her. "Fox, he is a good leader, listens to his team, but he's let love distract him. Krystal, she relies on her telepathy too much, and her heart too little. Bill, Bill is cool. 'Nough said. Lucy, I don't know a damn thing about her, but she is a fairly good pilot." Mira's voice suddenly startled them as she spoke.

"And I think you are the best wing mate, teammate, and friend a person can have. Yeah, you're a bit reckless, but hey, nobody's perfect!" she roughed up his hair as she sat down beside him. The entire group seemed to greet her as one.

"Thanks Mira. Glad to see ya join us." She smiled at the group as she spoke.

"Well, I can't let you all have all the fun now can I?" Now Fox's voice startled the group as he spoke.

"And nobody saved me a beer. I feel totally loved!" the group laughed as he grabbed a beer from the bartender and joined them.


	26. Chapter 26: MacDonnell

Mira's eyes slowly opened as she became aware of someone's arms wrapped around her stomach. She glanced down to see Will's human hands and she snuggled in more.

"Good morning Mira." She smiled as Will spoke and craned her head around.

"Good morning Will!" he sat up and she rested her head on his lap. She glanced around the room smiling at some of the others. Slippy was in a chair, sleeping on his head. Falco was on the other couch, his arms wrapped around Katt, Katt's tail wrapped around his leg. "Can I wake up like this every morning?" she looked up at Will, smiling slightly. He didn't look at her as he carefully stood up.

"No. you were crying last night. You fell asleep and I didn't want to wake you." He was digging through the fridge as she sat up.

"Why not Will?" he was quiet for a few minutes as he dug out breakfast ingredients.

"Just can't Mira. I'm sorry. I sure as hell hope this bacon looking stuff is at least related to a pig." She felt her heart sink as she moved up beside him.

"It is bacon. A lot of food animals were killed during Andross's bio bombings. Earth wildlife can live comfortably here so they sent what they could years ago. Bacon, kinda caught on." He grinned as he pulled out skillets and started cooking.

"Well, everything is better with bacon." She rolled her eyes as he spoke.

"I'm going to step out onto the balcony. Let me know when breakfast is done." He nodded as she slipped through the door and leaned up against the railing. The balcony they had looked out over the shipyard. She counted at least three destroyers and one cruiser being built. Cruisers looked similar to the Cornerian destroyer, but longer, and the ventral stab was more shallow, riding toward the back of the ship rather than downwards. Most destroyers were only about five hundred meters long, and were the bulk of the Cornerian fleet. Cruisers were the troop carriers and flagships of the fleet. The sun started to rise higher in the sky as she watched the night crews switch off with the morning crew.

"Hey Mira." She jumped as Fox spoke. He walked over to the railing and leaned up against it, right beside her.

"Hey Fox. Sleep well?" he shook his head as he stared out at the shipyard.

"Not really. Ya know, this view right here is why we picked this for our HQ building. They built both the original, and the new Great Fox right there, on the pad the cruiser is on. Got to watch as they took her up to fit her armor and weapons on, last month of the project." A small smile crossed his face as he stared across the water.

"So you like it here?" he nodded as he glanced around.

"Mira, may I ask you something?" she nodded and he continued. "Well, I need your help with Krystal. I don't know exactly what I did wrong, but well, our relationship is collapsing." She nodded as she let herself think.

"Well, she's been questioning your relationship since at least when I came on board. Don't get me wrong, she loves you, she just doesn't know if it's right." He nodded and stayed silent. "Fox, just remember, she will come back to you. As long as you love her, she will love you. Even if it doesn't show." He nodded again, staring out at the water.

"So, you're saying this will just blow over?" Mira laughed as he spoke.

"Not exactly, but give her some space, and some time to realize how stupid she is being, and accept her back, no grudges." He smirked and nodded. "Fox? May I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?" she shifted nervously on her feet.

"Well, me and Will, I, I don't know if I'm just being irrational or stupid, but, I want to be with him. Now more than ever. And yet, he just shoves me away. I want to believe that he has feelings toward me, but I don't know." She stared down at the waves, almost fifteen stories down from her.

"Mira, you haven't really known each other very long. All I can tell you, is that you two need to stick together. As friends at least. Doesn't mean you can't be more but, doesn't mean you will be. Only time will tell. Come on, before Falco tries to take all of the bacon." She grimaced as they stepped inside. Will was portioning out food onto plates and passing them out. The main door slid open as Bill stepped in, followed by Lucy, Doc, Peppy, and Krystal on her crutches. Mira watched Fox as he seemed to freeze for a second.

"Alright, I am not cooking more food, I have a few errands to run, if yall don't mind." Will, stepped away from the plates and disappeared into one of the rooms. He came out in fresh clothes and disappeared out the door. Winters marched in from one of the bedrooms, holding his head.

"Alright, why do I remember someone getting thrown into a pool?" Falco was instantly laughing. He and Katt had taken to opposite ends of the room. Or, more correctly, Falco was staying as far away from her as possible.

"Because you jumped into the pond down there. That's why you're wearing Hawkins's clothes." Mira couldn't help but snigger as he glanced at his clothes and grabbed a plate of food.

"Oh…" he dropped into the chair Slippy had been sleeping in.

"So who's the new guy?" Bill was plopping onto one of the sofas as he spoke.

"Bill, this is captain Winters, Former leader of the Corsairs." Slippy was the one speaking.

"Oh cool. Thanks for the bacon." Before Slippy had even noticed, he had grabbed a piece and wolfed it down. Slippy smacked his arm as Fox and Krystal sat on opposite sides of the room, Fox staring at his plate and Krystal glaring at him.

()

I nervously looked around as I typed commands into the Subspace communication system. It started ringing for a few seconds before he answered. It was a human male in a bright white navel uniform, with steel grey eyes and greying jet black hair.

"Son? Why are you calling me, from Corneria no less?" I looked down as I spoke.

"I need some information, Rear Admiral. Not related to the war." I heard him sigh before he spoke.

"William, I know I could lose my job for this, but whatever you need kid." I nodded as I fought the urge to cry.

"I need anything you have on a man named MacDonnell. His name has come up a few times, and it seems familiar. I understand if he is military and you can't send anything but, well yeah." I glanced up as he spoke. He was smiling.

"Of course, and trust me, he is not military. He's the second in command of the Mohammad's Army militant movement. He was the one who executed your men. I'm sending all the files I have on him to you now." I nodded as silence fell between us. "I can't believe it's been over three years. Will, I regret what I said to you that day. I know I should think of you as my enemy right now, but I'm proud of you. The Star Fox team is some of the most elite groups of pilots out there. And although I can't say it, I'm proud you're a part of them. If we survive this war, I want to try to reconnect with you. If you would allow it." I nodded as I pulled the filled drive out of the terminal.

"Thank you, Dad. And we will, I promise. Good luck." He smiled as he spoke.

"It won't be me who needs it, stay alive kid, and I'm sure you're fighting with them for the right reasons." I terminated the call and turned around to find four Cornerian MP's standing behind me.

"You're coming with us, human!" I put my hands on the back of my head as I spoke.

"I know this looks bad, but I need to get this data either too General Pepper or Fox McCloud. It's important." The MP yanked my pistol out of its holster and cuffed me as the others trained weapons on me.

"Shut up and move, scumbag!" I let them stuff me into a squad car, still clutching the thumb drive.

"Car 28 to HQ, suspect apprehended. Human male, using a Sub-Space comm line to earth. Armed with one, human blaster. Dropped some big names at us." The dispatcher acknowledged as the driver pulled away and started driving. The radio buzzed a few times as he drove, ignoring most of the traffic until he reached his precinct building. They dragged me out of the car and I glanced down, noticing my knife still on my thigh.

"I have to ask, but where were you trained trooper?" he glanced at me confused. "Because you left a rather deadly weapon on my left thigh. Total length of twelve inches, very sharp for seven inches. You might want to check for it if there is a next time." He glanced at my thigh, wide eyed. He yanked the knife out as he spoke.

"Well, um thanks?" he looked bewildered as he marched me into one of the interrogation rooms. He stepped out after connecting my hand cuffs to the table.

"Well, this is just peachy." A detective walked in with his partner, sitting across the table from me.

"So, contacting home?" I shrugged as I spoke.

"Sorta. Not home, but it was family. My home is a bit too mobile." He looked at me for a second as he stared at a PDA in front of him.

"Says here you're with the Star Fox team. That means you have access to some pretty high up information. What did you pass to earth?" I smiled at him as I spoke.

"Nothing, I was actually requesting information. Got the whole call right here on this drive. Plus the data I got. It won't help you or the war effort, call it, a personal curiosity." He stared at me for a second, as if he was trying to tell if I was lying. I slid the drive onto the table and he scooped it up before he marched out.


	27. Chapter 27: Loose Threads

Fox jumped as his wrist started vibrating. He answered and Peppy's voice spilled out, his voice frantic.

"Fox! Hawkins just got picked up by the Military Police! They are saying he was trying to give military secrets to the UEC!" Fox was stunned for a second before he spoke.

"What? Where? I'm on my way!" he rushed to find a jacket, until he realized he left it in the main room.

"Precinct four HQ is where they took him! I'm trying to get Pepper on the horn now!" Fox rushed out as he hung up, frantically searching the room for his jacket.

"Fox? What's going on?" Mira had just stepped out of the bathroom as he spotted his jacket and threw it on.

"Hawkins just got arrested. Apparently called someone in the UEC!" he was just about to step out of the room as Mira yelled.

"Wait for me!" she rushed out and they were both tapping their feet as the elevator rode downward. They sprinted out of the lobby and slid to a stop hailing a cab down. Fox grabbed the door for Mira and slid into the seat beside her.

"Fourth Precinct police station! Quickly if you don't mind!" the driver nodded and Fox watched Mira clench and unclench her fists over and over. They were coming to a stop when he realized he was drumming on the side of the cab. They rushed into the building and a guard stopped him.

"Your weapon sir." He glanced down, not even realizing he had left his weapon on.

"Here, sorry." He rushed past to the front desk almost instantly speaking. "I'm here to see a recent detainee, human Male. He's a member of my team." The clerk flicked through her data base as he impatiently tapped his foot.

"Wait, are you a member of Star Fox?" he nodded, annoyance rising through his body.

"Yes, I am Fox McCloud, lead pilot. Now can I go see what my teammate got himself into?" she shook her head as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, he is still in processing. You will have to wait for him to be out of it." he cursed as he walked away and dropped into one of the chairs. Within seconds, a detective stepped out from behind the counter and marched over to him.

"Fox? Come with me. I need you to speak on your team members behalf." He nodded and they both stood. The detective placed a hand on Mira's chest. "Sorry, just Fox Ma-am." She scowled as Fox was lead out of the room. As soon as they were clear of the lobby, the detective was speaking. "William Hawkins is claiming he was receiving nonmilitary based Intel from his father. Said it wasn't an information trade. My partner is convinced it's some kind of code." Fox nodded as they turned a corner, stopping at a door leading to an interrogation room.

"And what do you think?" he shifted slightly as he glanced around.

"I think he was just talking to his father about something. They are family. Maybe asking a favor. I looked through the data he has and watched the call. Data is on a man named MacDonnell." Fox nodded, almost instantly speaking.

"We ran into that name a few months ago. Was in a pair of pirate bases we went after. Is that all?" he nodded and gestured at the door.

"He's in there if you want to talk to him." Fox nodded and stepped through the doorway. Hawkins was sitting in a chair, his hands handcuffed to the table. Somehow, he seemed perfectly relaxed.

"Hey McCloud. How's it going?" Fox let his jaw drop as he spoke.

"Seriously? You just got arrested and you're asking me how it's going?" he shrugged as he sat silently. "Alright, tell me exactly what you did and why?" he chuckled slightly as he spoke.

"Have a hunch. I know I've said this war makes no damned sense. Only pull able thread was this, so I'm pulling. I called my father. Asked for whatever Intel he could give me. Turns out, MacDonnell was last seen executing my men on Ganymede. And some of it was personal between us." Fox nodded as Hawkins spoke.

"Well, Peppy was getting Pepper on the comm line. I just hope he has enough pull to get you out." Hawkins smirked as he leaned back.

"Well, he won't need much, if they actually watched the recording. I recorded the conversation. And the data is clearly received data and in no way relevant to the current war, so I'm sure I'll be clear soon." Fox sighed as he spoke.

"Maybe not. One of the detectives is certain it's a code of some kind. Like your being given orders." He shrugged as he fiddled with the cuffs.

"Meh, doesn't matter. So long as you or pepper look over the data and start pulling, then I'm happy. Just have a hunch." He stared at the polarized glass for a second as he waited. The detective that had escorted Fox stepped in.

"Well, we got a call from Fortuna orbit. General pepper vouched for you, though he said, if it happens again, you're on your own." The detective was smiling as he pulled the cuffs off. "Hawkins, your weapons will be returned at the door. And here's that drive of yours." Hawkins accepted the small drive and pocketed it. They marched out the way Fox had come and Mira leapt to her feet at the site of Hawkins.

"Will!" She rushed over and hugged him. Fox smirked at Hawkins's semi bewildered expression. The guard returned all of their weapons as they marched out onto the street.

"Well, that was a fun little adventure. Did you know, the Cornerians missed my combat knife when looking for weapons?" Fox and Mira both laughed as she responded.

"And you call being arrested an adventure! I do not want to know what a bad situation is in your book!" he smirked as she continued. "Did you really call earth?" He nodded as he spoke.

"Technically an orbital weapons platform above earth. Talked to dad, got what I wanted. I need to talk to pepper though, I need all the Intel I can get on pirate activity over the past year." Fox nodded as he hailed a cab.

"You realize you're on leave right?" he nodded as a cab stopped on the curb.

()

Wolf stared at the sand blasted planet below, just a few thousand kilometers away from his flagship. He grunted as the thought crossed his mind. _Flagship, humph only ship more like._ The comm line beeped and he answered the call. Admiral Douglas was on the other end.

"Mr. O'Donnell, we just received intel that the Great Fox is at Corneria. Any chance you can get over there?" Wolf crossed his arms as he spoke.

"Cant. Sorry. Were bogged down out here, my crew is missing down there. I can't leave them." The admiral nodded as he typed in a few commands.

"Based on the damage done by Russian Intelligence, they will be there a while. Two of their members were seriously injured." Wolf almost jumped as he said that.

"Who?" apprehension filled his gut. _Damn, I've changed more than I thought. _The Admiral grimaced as he spoke.

"Report wasn't very specific. Just said two females." Wolf nodded as he moved over to one of the consoles.

"Well, that leaves four options there. Anything else?" the admiral nodded as Wolf looked through one of their orbital scans.

"Yes, I'd like to send a battle group to Titania to help you." Wolf shook his head as he spoke.

"No. there is a platoon of Cornerian Pathfinders lost down there. Panther found some of them before he dropped off the grid. UEC assets would cause a new conflict to erupt. We need to keep them down, protect the fleet ships, not get them killed." The Admiral seemed to sigh as the image flickered.

"Well, I just got a message from the rear admiral. Said one of the Star Fox team is digging into MacDonnell. So at least they are starting to be on the right track. I'll update you when they leave Corneria." Wolf shut the screen down as he faced the admiral.

"Good luck Douglas. I hope we get the evidence we need. I'll send you a report when I'm done here." He killed the transmission as he stared out the viewport. "Panther, you fool, where the hell are you!" Leon's high-pitched voice filled the bridge.

"Down there being a fool. What else does that damn cat do? Why do we have him again?" Wolf grunted as he brought up the latest thermal scan.

"Because he can be a good pilot at times. How's Dash doing on Corneria?" Leon crossed his arms, scanning the image with his eyes.

"Don't know. I gave you his last report two weeks ago. Not uncommon for him to go quiet." Wolf shut the projector off as he strode for the exit.

"Riley, you have the ship. Kill anything that gives us a funny look." The ape saluted as he passed. "Leon, let's go find that cat, so we can skin his ass!" Leon grinned as they marched off the bridge.


	28. Chapter 28: The End?

Mira glanced at Hawkins as he absently chewed on a biscuit. His eyes were glued to a group of PDA's that he hadn't left alone almost the entirety of the past week.

"Hey Will, why are you still reading this crap? This has to be the fourth time now!" he shrugged as he set one down and picked up his personal PDA.

"I have my reasons. You remember Noriega, right?" she looked at him as if he was stupid.

"Really Will, I don't think I'm ever forgetting him." He nodded as he continued.

"Well, shows here that Noriega and MacDonnell were very close during the Mars conflict. Both Russian military, Mars natives, and Noriega got MacDonnell into the Spetznaz with him. Worked together until 2159, about the time Mohammad's army came about unofficially. Rumor says, they stayed in touch for years. No proof but, given their MO's, I wouldn't be surprised if they are still in touch. And there have been mentioning's to a MacDonnell and a Malcolm for almost two years on multiple pirate bands. Every group these messages have been linked to are very well armed and organized, like Fachina and Meteo. And I think Titania is a new link in the chain." Mira just watched as he droned on. They both glanced up as Krystal marched into the HQ. She had just been taken off the crutches the day before.

"So you're saying?" now Will gave her a look of disbelief.

"I'm saying, Pirate attacks in the Lylat system, maybe linked to the Mohammad's Army militant movement back in the Sol system. Some of these pirate bands had known links to the Andross Remnant." She stared at him until he continued. "Really, do I have to spell it out for you? Two rouge factions from two warring systems working together? And you don't see that as concerning? Two factions that would want nothing more than their home government replaced with them?" she glanced through the reports, not seeing any kind of connection to them.

"Okay, where's your proof?" he flicked through a few reports.

"Okay, most of these are just pirate groups. Right?" she nodded as she stared at the different groups and locations. It also showed their stalking grounds. "Now each group looks fairly benign, for pirates that is. Most don't have large coverage areas, but when you place them on the same star chart…" she watched as the screen filled, with every single supply route being almost entirely covered.

"So together, they cover a lot of ground. That doesn't say they are connected?" he pulled up charts of ships lost in different regions.

"When you look at the ships they take, you might see a bit of a menagerie. Cargo ships here, passenger liners here, science vessels here, supply ships here. But if these groups were working together, the ship manifests could feed, armor, equip, and fund a fairly large sized combat force. As well as fund each of these operations. And lately, they have only been going for military targets. Now, some of these groups were known affiliates of the Andross remnant, some have direct connections to MacDonnell. Others have connections to other groups." He stopped for a second as she played with the screen.

"So, what happens when you connect the dots?" he smirked as he opened another image, this one looking at a web of connections.

"You get this, and only two operations have no connection to the rest, both of which, we know next to nothing of because they haven't been taken down. A lot of these just disappeared too. No Cornerian Forces dispatched. But, if you take those two out of the other map of coverage, there is a massive gap in it. Now one of these, we can't reach anymore. UEC owns the region, but this one focuses around Titania. Which we can reach." She sighed as she looked at him.

"I think you are just stretching things a bit. You need to get away from the screens." She was about to step away from him when he stopped her.

"Mira, you may be right, but I'm chasing this down. If it means I get to kill the bastard that executed my guys, then hell yes. Even if Fox doesn't agree to it. If that's the case, will you go with me? I know that's asking a lot." She smiled as she responded.

"No it's not. And I will, just put the damn PDA down, and go have some fun! Even sourpuss Krystal has managed it! Ever since the first night, you have been always doing something! First it was getting arrested, then grabbing ammo, then fixing your armor, and I don't even remember all of it! And this in the time you aren't! Just relax! We only have two more days down here!" he glanced at the PDA before he spoke.

"I know. Just, I have a hunch about this Mira. My gut says this is something big." She sighed as she spoke.

"It only says that because MacDonnell could be connected! You don't even know if it's even connected!" he sighed as he spoke.

"You're probably right. Just let me talk to Fox. Worst case, we go to Titania, and free up CDF supplies." She nodded as he stood and stretched.

"Well, he's out on the balcony again. Come on." He walked beside her in silence as they stepped outside. Fox was the only one out there.

"McCloud. I need to speak to you." Fox glanced up from where he was leaning on the railing. he waved the two of them over before he spoke.

"What is it you two?" he had dark bags under his eyes. His eyelids seemed to keep drooping downward.

"Fox, you look exhausted!" he shrugged as he spoke.

"A little bit." Will glanced at her before they both shrugged.

"Fox, as soon as we are back to flight duty, I'm going to Titania." Fox glanced at him and grunted.

"I assume it has to do with all that data you gathered?" Will nodded and continued.

"Yes. I'm looking for evidence of something. I'm not asking the Star Fox team to come with, or for your permission. I'm merely informing you of it." Fox smirked as he patted Hawkins's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. I trust you. That means were coming with you kid." Hawkins smiled at him. Something about him made it seem like he had aged in just the past couple of weeks.

"Thank you Fox. I hope it's more than a hunch." His attention was drawn back out to the waves far below.

"Me too. Now if you two don't mind, I'd like to be alone." Will patted his shoulder before they turned away. They were both quiet as they went back inside and sat down.

"So, why did you mention Noriega earlier?" I glanced at her, curious as to where she was going to take this.

"We may be able to nail him after this war for working with known terrorists, unless we get him before then." She nodded as silence fell across the room.

"Well, what did you want to do?" she shifted in her seat, her tail and ears fluttering just as they did whenever she was nervous.

"Well, I hear the water front is pretty nice around this time. And there are a few restaurants I've never been too. Might be worthwhile." She was staring at her feet as she spoke.

"Well, as long as you don't call it a date, then let's get going." She smiled as they stood up and left the HQ.

()

Krystal glanced out the window as she sat on the sofa. She toke a second look as she realized that Fox was outside, leaning on the balcony rail. She hesitated as she debated talking to him. Her legs carried her to the door, almost of their own accord. Fox didn't even react as the door opened and closed. She spoke softly, afraid of what she had to say to him.

"Fox?" every hair on his body seemed to stand on end as one, his entire body bouncing into the air.

"Oh, Krystal, um hello." He turned to face her, still leaning up against the rail. Krystal leaned up against the railing as well, facing out toward the ship yard. She had intentionally stayed a few feet away from him.

"We need to talk." Fox nodded in agreement, his gaze fixed upon her.

"Okay. What's on your mind." She glanced at him, seeing how exhausted he was. Her heart seemed to shrivel up inside, sending a sharp pain through her chest.

"I talked to Mira. Why didn't you tell me that she had tried to kill herself?" Fox sighed and glanced out across the water, almost mimicking her own position.

"Hawkins asked me not too. He thought you might rush her and pressure her even more. He just didn't want you to cause another episode." She couldn't look at him as he spoke. Silence stretched between them for what felt like a lifetime. The cruiser in the distance lifted off the birth and slowly rose into space to be outfitted with it's weaponry and crew.

"That's not all we talked about. We also talked about, well, us." Fox stared at her intently, waiting for her to continue. She stared down the building to the waves far below, trying to not look at him. "Fox, I'm sorry, but I don't think we should stay together anymore. I'm sorry, we just shouldn't be together. Not in our line of work." She risked glancing at his face before she continued. Tears were already flowing out of his eyes, and her heart felt like it was ripping itself out.

"I understand Krystal." She felt her own tears welling in her eyes as she fought the urge to cry.

"Fox, I really am sorry. You've always meant a lot to me, I just really don't think this is going to work between us. I'm sorry." Her entire body felt hollow and numb as she spoke, still staring at the water far below her. She felt Fox's hand rest on her shoulder as he spoke.

"It's alright. I understand. Do whatever is best for you. It's all I've ever wanted for you." She heard the door open and close behind her and she stopped trying to hold back the tears. She let her face fall onto her crossed arms and sobbed into them.


	29. Chapter 29: Unexpected Visitor

I leaned up against the railing staring out into the ocean beyond as old Wet ships drifted by. It was oddly peaceful on the water front, almost as if there wasn't any kind of war going on. I glanced over at Mira, who, although had wanted to come here, seemed sad to be here.

"Hey, something wrong?" she shook her head as she glanced at me. Her gaze slid back to the water as she suddenly spoke.

"I'm sorry. I just don't know what to think right now." My gaze fell away from her as silence filled the space between us. The silence was suddenly broken as Mira's wrist computer started ringing. She gave me a puzzled look before answering the call. "Hello, this is Mira." A male voice I had never heard before spilled out of the speaker. At the sound of his voice, Mira's face seemed to instantly light up.

"Hey Mira! I'm sorry we didn't get to see each other a couple months back!" she instantly spoke back, her regularly quiet voice drawing the attention of passing Cornerians.

"Robert! I'm so sorry, I completely forgot about you! I'll make it up sometime, okay?" the man laughed as she spoke, his own voice sounding like he was ecstatic.

"I hear you're in Corneria city right now. I wrangled a weekend pass from my CO. I just got here, up for anything?" Mira was grinning from ear to ear, her tail flicking wildly as she responded.

"I... Yes I do! Dinner work for you? We could catch up on what you've been up too!" she glanced at me, a look of shame suddenly crossing her face.

"Yeah, look, I know a place not too far from the spaceport. It's just a little café but, it's really good. Meet me over here and I'll show it to you." Mira shifted slightly as she spoke to me.

"Um, Will, I don't want to leave him hanging again. If it's al…" I cut her off as she spoke grinning, even though a small pang shot through my heart.

"Don't worry about it Mira. I'll get the taxi. You just go have fun." She was practically bouncing as I walked back to the street, hailing down a taxi. She trotted over as one pulled up, and I grabbed the door for her. She slid in, still grinning as I sat beside her. "Spaceport, please. Mira, is this that ex-boyfriend you mentioned just before the war?" she nodded still grinning.

"The one and only! His name is Robert McGlocklin. He looks a lot like fox, but his fur is tan and brown." I smiled to her and stared out the window for the rest of the cab drive. The buildings were covered in neon lights and holographic advertisements that made New York's Times Square look like Scrooge's Christmas tree. The cab pulled onto the curb as we reached the spaceport and I asked him to wait for me as I let Mira out of the car. She almost instantly saw her ex through the crowd and rushed to him.

"Robert!" she wrapped her arms around him with such force that he staggered back. I didn't hear most of their conversation as I caught up, taking a much slower and more polite way through the crowd. The brown furred Fox leaned away from me as I approached.

"Mira, who the hell is that?" he was pointing his finger at me as I held out my hand for him to shake it.

"Relax, I'm her wingman, Will Hawkins." He glanced nervously at my sidearm before he gingerly shook my hand.

"I had heard rumors that a human was on the Star Fox team. Guess those are more than rumors. I also heard someone on the team was hurt?" Mira released him as she spoke, her normally quiet self returning.

"Yes. Krystal and I were captured. If it wasn't for Will here, we would both be dead." Robert looked at me, suddenly no longer afraid of me.

"I, thank you Hawkins." I smiled to him as I shrugged.

"It's nothing. I protect my wingman. I'd have done the same for anyone else on the team. Mira, I'll see you later, I'm heading back to the H-Q. Have fun!" she gave me a quick hug as she whispered in my ear.

"Thank you Will!" she released me as she waved goodbye, continuing in a normal voice. "See ya Will, and take care!" I waved goodbye and strode back to the Cab, feeling strangely hollow.

()

Katt kicked her feet up on the couch, stretching out on the comfortable surface of it. She jumped as the main door to the HQ opened, letting Hawkins pass through.

"Oh hey Will, where's mira?" she sat up as she spoke, her gaze fixed on him. He plooped down on the couch beside her before he responded.

"Meeting with an old friend. I hope you don't mind me joining you?" She laughed as she shifted into the corner of the couch, still facing him.

"Of course not!" she smiled at him as she spoke. He had perched on the edge of the couch, almost as if he was ready to dive behind cover. "Did you hear about Krystal and Fox?" he shook his head, giving her a puzzled expression.

"No? what happened?" Katt glanced out on the balcony, checking if either of them were out there.

"Krystal broke up with Fox. I'm not really sure why, she kinda couldn't stop crying but." He stroked his chin for a few seconds before he spoke.

"Where are they then?" she shrugged, her gaze starting to wander the room.

"Krystal is in her room. I think Fox left. I really don't know. So who is this person Mira ditched you for?" he grunted as he stood back up, searching the room for something.

"an ex-boyfriend of hers. Where's the remote?" she raised an eyebrow at him as he moved about the room, looking under things and in drawers.

"really? And what are you looking for?" he stopped and glared at her from where he was crouched.

"The remote for the screen. Ya know, watch T-V? and yes, she is meeting with an ex." She shrugged as she pointed over to the counter in the kitchen.

"It's over there." He trotted over and grabbed it instantly flicking the screen on. "Just fair warning, we only get CNN." He stared at her for a second, one eyebrow raised. "Conerian news network." He shrugged and sat down as he turned the volume up.

"… News closer to home, one of the members of the esteemed Star Fox team, was arrested almost a week ago. Now, one of the original detectives speaks out on the case, claiming that releasing him was a mistake. We now take you to a live interview with him." The female anchor faded away as a darkened silhouette appeared. The strip at the bottom of the screen displayed the most recent casualty reports. An off screen reporter suddenly spoke.

"Now detective, you said the choice to release the Star Fox member was a mistake. What we as the public are wondering, is why he was arrested, as well as why releasing him was the wrong choice?" the figure shifted slightly, his voice being scrambled as he spoke.

"He was arrested, and he admitted to it, for calling a high ranking member of the United Earth Coalition Military. An information exchange toke place, but he was still released. The call was made by very high ranking military official." She watched as Hawkins tensed up, his face starting to grow red.

"Do you, as an officer of the law, believe him to be a threat?" the figure on the screen instantly nodded.

"Absolutely. This person has direct access to high level military intelligence, including troop movements, weapons research, production capabilities, and could easily destroy our leadership, because of how high of respect we hold the Star Fox team to. I believe this man should be detained until further notice, and I guarantee, that if we dug deeper on this individual, we would start uncover evidence of his true allegiance, to the UEC." The screen faded to a conference room, with the original anchor now sitting in the center of a group of people. He was about to turn the screen off as Katt held up a finger.

"Now, there are already arguments coming from the other side of this event, including our very own political analyzer. Tom?" a man that looked extremely similar to General Pepper, only much younger, spoke.

"I actually did some digging on the team and their pasts when I heard of this. If my information is correct, their most recent addition is a human pilot. and there very easily could be a benign reason for calling earth, because his father happens to be a high ranking UEC Admiral. So as far as us in the general populace are concerned, he could've asked for old family photos, and said goodbye to his father. Personally, I believe the call was for reasons with little, if any relation to the current warfare." Hawkins grunted as he shut the screen off.

"Well, at least he as some brains. I just hope this doesn't bite us in the ass." Katt absently nodded as she thought about what the detective had said.

"It's hard to imagine that just two weeks ago, I would've been agreeing with the detective." He smirked as he finally leaned back, his body still oddly rigid.

"Well, what caused you to change your mind?" she grined, rubbing the side of her face.

"When we arrived at Sauria, I said that you had most likely changed sides. And Mira punched me. Harder than I thought she even could, come to think of it." Hawkins burst out laughing as she spoke.

"you sure you aint just had the sense knocked out of ya?" she laughed with him as she responded, fighting through the laughter.

"Nah, more like knocked into me." He smiled as he stood and stretched.

" I'm sorry, I appreciate the company, but I need some shut eye. I was up later last night than I should've been. Later Katt." She waved to him as he walked out of the room, disappearing into the dorms.


	30. Chapter 30: Back to War

Fox leaned up against the railing, staring through the view port to the planet below while he waited for Hawkins to clear security. The rest of the group slowly trickled over, gathering off his left. He glanced at Krystal, their eyes meeting for the barest trace of a second before she looked down, hurrying to the other side of the group. Hawkins and Mira caught up with them, Hawkins looking like a pack animal with the two duffel bags of equipment. He dropped it as he leaned up against the railing. Fox could just barely hear Mira's quiet voice.

"There is definitely no place like home." Hawkins chuckled as he responded.

"Well my home is a bit to mobile to be honest." She glanced at him, raising an eyebrow and canting her ear.

"What's home to you then?" he stayed quiet for what seemed like an eternity before he finally spoke, almost too quiet for Fox to hear.

"I really don't know. They say home is where the heart is. I'll let you know when I find it." Even Fox could sense the deep sadness in his voice. Mira glanced at him before her gaze shifted to Fox.

"Hey Fox, do you think we will ever see her again?" she jerked her thumb toward the planet far below as she spoke. Fox did his best to put on a comforting smile as he looked at her.

"Yeah, I do. We survived so far, who's to say that we won't survive longer?" she smiled as Hawkins smirked.

"Well, all of yall will. Me, who knows? I'm too reckless." Mira playfully punched his shoulder, a smirk crossing her face too.

"Like riding nuclear blasts." Fox decided to join in as a few of the others started paying attention.

"And jumping off cliffs." Hawkins laughed as he responded.

"In my defense, I was being chased by a crazy ass group of dino's intent on skewering me." Fox rolled his eyes, a grin spreading across his face.

"Well, everyone, we got a war to fight. Get your stuff stowed, then I want you all in the briefing room by nineteen hundred hours. Get cracking." He waited for people to start moving to the docking tube before he spoke directly to Hawkins. "And Hawkins, about your concerns for our ground capabilities, from now on, you are in charge on the ground. You have complete control over our set up. Okay?" he nodded and Fox spoke again. "And I want you to set up a briefing on Titania as soon as you can. You have about ten hours if I'm not mistaken."

"Hooah Fox. I'll get started as soon as I'm back up on the ship." Fox watched as he jogged away, easily carrying the two ninety pound duffel bags. Fox took one more look at the planet below before he trotted into the docking tube.

()

Mira settled into her seat as the lights in the briefing room dimmed. Fox and Peppy where standing up by the holo projector, already displaying an image of the desert planet, Titania.

"Alright, as most of you already know, we are on our way to Titania. We did contact general Pepper, and this is a CDF sanctioned mission. He sent a pathfinder platoon to the planet to find this base, but they have gone missing. He wants us to find them, and eliminate the pirate threat." The image zoomed in on a section of the planet's surface. "Now, as this mission is by Hawkins request, he will be in charge of the ground operations. And, from now on, if we fight on the ground, he is in charge. Hawkins?" he stood and moved to the front of the room, standing beside Fox.

"Now, the main goal of this mission, after finding the pathfinders, is to secure any and all intelligence we can. Audio recordings, surveillance video, troop and supply movements. Anything we can get our hands on. We will be operating in this region, which has a very large number of ruins. The pirate base is believed to be in this area. Now, we won't now much till we are down there. I want everyone training in ground combat. I am going to assign a role to each of you, and I want you to do everything you can to perfect your specialties." Falco put his hand into the air. Will stopped speaking and gestured to him to speak.

"What do you mean, specialties? And why the hell do we need them." He stared at him for a second, letting a long pause stretch between them.

"As in, you specifically train to do a specific task. And if we all train to different roles, rather than just basic training, then we will have a more adaptable squad. And, it's easier to train to one skill set, than all of them. So rather than a group of mediocre multirole troops, we have a group of elite individual specialists. As such Falco, I want you training as a sniper. You have a sharp eye, I think that will play to your advantage." He grunted as Hawkins gestured to Katt. "Katt, you are his spotter."

"Spotter? What do mean?" he sighed as he responded.

"I mean, you work with him, spot targets, help him with range and atmospheric conditions. You should also train with a sniper rifle or marksmen's rifle." She nodded as he looked at Krystal. "Krystal, you will be our close quarters combat and stealth insertion specialist. I think your telepathy will play a vital role there." She nodded as he turned to face Fox. "Fox, you will act as our Assault specialist. Room clearing, bunker breaching, rapid movement. Bill, I want you to act as our heavy weapons specialist. Get yourself a squad automatic weapon of some sort. Shouldn't be too different from that heavy rifle of yours. Lucy, I want you to act as our scout. Be ready to be memorizing terrain, potential paths, enemy locations, numbers, and equipment. I think if you stay light, then your speed and jumping ability will give you an advantage." Mira shifted nervously as he looked at her. He gave her a gentle smile before he spoke. "And Mira, I want you to act as our medic. This does not mean the rest of you shouldn't learn at least basic first aid, and Mira, don't think you won't be fighting." She gulped as she looked down. Peppy's voice caused her to look back up.

"What about you Hawkins?" he shrugged as he spoke.

"Fire team leader and demolitions. Any other questions?" the room grew silent as his gaze slid across each of them. "Alright then, you all have a lot of work to do. Dismissed!" she stood and waited for Hawkins and walked out with him.

"Do you really think I should be fighting on the ground? I'm not exactly well acclimated to blood." He smirked and patted her shoulder.

"What you should be more worried about, is having to use a blaster" he steered her to the elevator and pressed a button for the training floor.

"Where are we going?" his smirk changed into a grin.

"Training range. Trust me, I've seen you shoot. You need it." she glared at him as the elevator opened. She followed him out as they marched through the ship.

"You know, I'm not exactly knowledgeable in first aid either." he stopped and faced her, placing his hands on his hips.

"So, would you rather learn how to put holes in people, or patch them?" she smiled as she signaled for him to follow her.

"Personally, putting them in." he smirked again as he followed.

"Good." They grabbed two of the training blasters off the wall after they walked in. They were basically firing a laser pointer at a screen, but it was the closest they could get to a real range. "Alright, first, breathe. At the end of your breath out, gently squeeze the trigger. I'll set the target for four hundred and fifty yards." She did what he said, and watched as the screen added a tally to the missed column. He raised his own weapon and squeezed off three rounds. Three tally's marked up on the screen.

"How do you do that? Just pop it up and shoot like that?" he smirked as he glanced down at the weapons.

"For one, I use the sights. For two, training. Believe me, I'm not good. Should've seen what my team mate could do." She grunted as she raised the weapon again. He placed a hand on her back and forced her to lean forward slightly, kicked her feet out to where she was standing with her left foot slightly ahead of her right.

"So what can your ex-team mate do?" she fired and watched a hit get tallied onto the screen.

"I watched him put a three round burst into man's face at almost nine hundred meters. M-32's are spec-ed to six hundred and fifty." She was stunned for a second, staring at him, "And he took maybe a second to line up and fire." She shook her head as she aimed again, this time assuming the position he had forced her into. She fired three more times, only one hitting, but knowing the others had just barely missed. He patted her shoulder as he stepped through the doorway. "Keep it up. And you may just make soldier in my books." He winked at her before the door closed, leaving herself alone in the room.


	31. Chapter 31: Saber

Fox trotted into the hanger, shifting Bill's heavy blaster on his shoulder. Bill was packing a large, belt fed Gatling gun with a tripod, and a blaster carbine, so Fox was borrowing it to fill his role. He glanced around the room, instantly realizing just how much more intimidating the group was. Krystal had dropped her normal machinegun, using a small specialized weapon, firing large low velocity rounds, so it could be silenced without losing too much power. She also had a hand made combat rig on her chest, holding magazine pouches and two blaster pistols. Her staff was slung over her shoulder. Mira was now wearing Hawkins Pilot vest, stripped of its magazine pouches. She also had a blaster carbine, and a small assault pack. Everyone in the room had a pistol somewhere on them. Only Hawkins seemed no different from his normal armor and weapons. Each of them now had a small eyepiece, much like Falco's HUD rig. Hawkins tossed him one as he trotted closer.

"That eyepiece is already linked to our battle net. Drone is coming with." He nodded as they waited for Peppy and Slippy to arrive. They were going to be piloting the shuttle and watching it. The whole group seemed to shift nervously, especially Mira. Peppy and Slippy finally arrived and Fox followed them onto the shuttle. The door closed as the shuttle was lifted into the air. Slippy grace fully guided the ship around the Freighter and out into space. Titania loomed in the viewport as Peppy spoke.

"I did a last minute check, and I found the Pathfinders vessel. It's landed here, nearby these ruins. It looks abandoned." Fox watched as Hawkins racked the bolt on his rifle. The others glanced around, all nervous.

"Look, everyone. These are just pirates. They will not have the equipment the UEC has. Or the organization, or the training. We will be fine. Just stay down, do as I say, and we make it home in one piece. No heroes, got it?" Fox nodded with the rest of the group. Hawkins slammed his helmet onto his head as the craft began to violently shake and whine. Flame rose up in the view port ahead of them. The shaking came to a stop as they entered the atmosphere. The craft gently set down on the sand and sunlight blared in as the rear hatch dropped. Hawkins was the first out, followed by Fox. They had landed just meters away from the Pathfinders ship, almost buried in the shifting sand. Hawkins lowered his weapon, facing away from the ship. Fox turned to face the same way as him. They were facing a large rectangular entrance way, large enough for a land master to comfortable enter.

"I'd bet every dime I have ever made that the Pathfinders went down there." Fox smirked as Peppy shouted to them.

"The ship is empty, no weapons, rations, nothing. They had enough to last at least three months on board only been out here maybe, four weeks?" Fox glanced at Hawkins as he turned and spoke to the group at large.

"Alright, Peppy, Slippy, find out what you can about that ship. Everyone else, down the hole!" he trotted into the ruin, his rifle light flicking on the second he entered it. Fox turned his own on, all eight flashlights brightly illuminating the dark passageway. The kept trotting for what seemed like almost an hour until they finally came up on a fork in the tunnel. There were four other passageways in front of them. Hawkins stared at them for a second before dropping something on the ground. It suddenly popped as he stared at his wrist computer. "These paths wind around after about twenty meters. We should split up. I'll drop a beacon here so we can find our way back." Fox lowered the weapon as he faced the group. "Alright, Fox and bill, you two take a tunnel. Mira, Lucy, you got another. Falco, Katt, don't kill each other. Krystal, you're with me. Move out!" Fox glanced at Krystal as they raised their weapons and moved down one of the hallways. Bill tapped his shoulder and Fox followed him down the passageway.

"Hey Fox, you alright? You've seemed out of it since, well, you know." Fox sighed as they continued down the passageway.

"I'm Fine Bill. Just focus on the mission. You can interrogate me about Krystal later." Bill grunted as they made another turn, going deeper into the ruins. Bill had thrown on Cornerian infantry armor, rather than his normal flight suit. He was the only other person to be wearing a helmet. They came around another bend and found themselves at the end of a long hallway. Fox's fur stood on end as they moved deeper in. an object loomed ahead of them, propped up against the wall. Fox could barely make out the shape of the soldier as they approached him. Fox crouched at the corpse, seeing the Pathfinder insignia on his chest plate.

"One of ours?" Fox nodded as he stood and faced Bill. A clean hole had been punched through the pathfinder's chest, not being instantly fatal.

"Yeah." They were quiet until a click drew his attention. "What was that?" Bill shrugged as they faced either way down the passage. Fox tentatively took a few more steps forward when he felt the floor suddenly give way beneath him. He screamed as he plummeted a short distance, landing in a heap at the bottom.

"Fox! You alright down there!?" Fox got to his feet, seeing the almost nine meter shaft above him.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Just keep moving, we'll regroup later!" Fox scanned around him as Bill hollered into the shaft.

"Rodger that! Be careful!" he gave Bill a thumbs up before choosing a direction in the passageway and marching down it. Minutes seemed to drag by until he heard another faint click. He cautiously looked around, trying to figure out what the next trap could be. Nothing happened, so he cautiously inched forward. He shrugged and started trotting along the tunnel again.

()

Krystal marched on in the dark hallway. She had given up on being cautious as they moved through the passage, letting her weapon balance loosely in her hands. Hawkins on the other hand, stayed weapon raised and ready for a fight. She rolled her eyes at him as a faint click echoed in the hallway. Not half a second later, Hawkins rifle light exploded, plunging them into darkness. The blue diamond that was on her HUD disappeared at the same time, her entire HUD disappearing.

"Damn it, EMP." The hallway lit up as he fired a single silvery bolt into the wall. "Well, at least our weapons aren't down." She sighed as she tried to squint through the darkness. "We need light, ideas?" she slung her rifle and grabbed the staff on her back. it stayed compressed as she held it out in front of her. The bulbous end split open, a blue flame erupting from it and illuminating the passage. "Hmm, nifty. Where did you get that thing anyway?" she glanced at him as she spoke.

"My mother, back on Cerinia. It's the only thing I have left of them." He stopped for a second, staring at her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up." She shrugged as they started to move again. He kept glancing at her as they marched through the hallway.

"I never really got to know my mother. She was always busy with something. I had actually run away when Cerinia was destroyed." Tears started to well into her eyes as she remembered the fight with her parents. "I was only sixteen then." He stopped her as he forced her to face her.

"Hey, don't get me wrong, I am very interested in continuing this conversation, but this aint the time." Krystal nodded, wiping the traces of moisture that had formed there. They walked on in silence, the eerie blue light being their only guide. They reached a fork in the path and Hawkins instantly spoke.

"Let's split up." He was already moving toward one of the passageways, one hand reaching for a pouch at the small of his back.

"Wait, you have no way to see!" he smirked as he pulled a pair of goggles out. He attached them onto a rail on his helmet and slid them over his visor.

"Night vision. And IR and Magnetic. EMP shielded." He looked bug eyed with the goggles down, but she guessed if it worked, it didn't really matter what he looked like.

"Alright. Be careful okay?" he shrugged and turned down the passage, quickly disappearing. She smiled for a second before heading off down her passageway. She held her staff high above her head as she walked, one of her blaster pistols loosely in her hand. It felt like time simply dragged longer and longer on as the path twisted and coiled around. She suddenly felt life not far ahead of her and she broke into a trot, her weapons raised. A figure loomed in front of her, curled up on the floor of the passage. Her light slowly illuminated the soldier as she drew closer, and the light stirred him awake. He shot to his feet, a sword already swinging at Krystal. She extended the staff and deflected the blow just in time. His armor was stripped and battered, but he was clearly one of the pathfinders. He moved to swing again as Krystal shouted.

"Whoa there, I'm a friend." His blood shot green eyes stared at her, disbelieving. "My name is Krystal. What about you?" he slid against the wall, slowly collapsing. He had small injuries all across his body, including a cut along the top of his muzzle that dried blood had sealed over. He looked a lot like wolf, only his fur was brown. His face and muzzle was the lightest shade, and his fur grew darker the further away from his face you looked.

"Saber." She felt mesmerized by him. His sleeveless green uniform seem to fit him perfectly.

"Where's the rest of your unit Saber." He couldn't look at her as he spoke, his eyes cast into his lap.

"I think I'm the only one left. There are traps all over this place." She offered him a hand up and he accepted it, keeping his sword in hand. The edges of the blade seemed to glow an eerie blue, as if it was alive. His blaster carbine was dangling on his back, on top of the assault pack.

"What unit are you with?" he was looking up and down her, taking in every inch of her non-standard gear.

"I'm a member of the Star Fox team. Now, did you find the pirates?" he nodded as the sword seemed to stop glowing. He slid it into a partial sheathe on his back as he spoke.

"I've seen them, but that's all. I've just been running from place to place, just trying to stay alive." Krystal patted his shoulder and gestured down the passageway. He nodded and the two of them set off together down the passage. He kept glancing at her as they walked.

"What?" his eyes dropped to his feet as he spoke.

"Nothing. You just look familiar, that's all." She smiled slightly as she held the staff up between them, casting long shadows on the walls of the corridor.

"Really? Where from?" he shrugged as he grabbed the carbine off his back.

"My home world, Cerinia." She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at him.

"But, I thought I was the only survivor?" he chuckled as he spoke, staring off into the darkness, almost as if it was into the past.

"My dad was a Cornerian mercenary. Got hired to deal with pirates and fell in love with my mother. He had taken me with him to Corneria when Cerinia was destroyed." He finally looked at her again, staring intently at the staff in her hand. "That's where my sword comes from. It was a gift to dad, given you don't need to be a telepath to master it. Unlike those." she shook her head bewildered.

"huh. Well, I'm glad to find you, Saber." A weak smile splayed across his face as they marched deeper into the dark passageway.


	32. Chapter 32: The Maze

Mira pounded on the thick stone wall now between her and Lucy, screaming.

"Lucy! Can you hear me! Lucy!" her voice came through the wall, heavily muffled.

"I'm okay! Just keep moving! We can link back up later!" Mira shuddered as she slumped up against the heavy stone. She gasped for air, still trying to recover from the last trap they had encountered.

"Okay." Her voice felt unnatural to her as she shouted. Images of the massive boulder rolling after them, drawing closer and closer, flashed through her mind. She shuddered again and shakily stood up. They had to be under some sort of jamming field, because anytime Lucy had gone farther than two meters from her, her HUD would stop marking her. She startled as she heard footsteps approaching. She aimed toward the source of them, her light illuminating the hallway. A dark shape formed in her light just seconds before Hawkins familiar armor was lit up.

"Hey Mira. Couldn't tell who it was through the night vision." He was sliding the strange googles up onto his helmet as he spoke. She smiled as she trotted up to him.

"Hey Will. Me and Lucy just got separated." He simply shrugged and walked past her, still moving forward.

"Don't worry about it. As long as she is alive, then it doesn't really matter." Mira nodded, trotting to keep up. Will suddenly held his hand up. She could just barely hear more footsteps, but these were metallic in nature. He slid his goggles back down, giving his eyes a very bug like quality. He spun snapping his rifle up. "Down!" he slammed into her a red bolts ripped past overhead. She aimed and fired as silver bolts from Wills rifle lanced down the hall, illuminating the androids. They looked a lot like Rob, only covered in armor plating and with various weapons built into them. One of the mechs detonated as Will yanked her to her feet. "Run!" she needed no second invitation. The two of them slid around a corner as Will dropped something onto the ground.

"What was that?" he just shoved her forward and kept running. They slid to a stop in the sand as the Mechs rounded the corner behind them. Time came to a halt as Mira watched Will pull the trigger on a detonator in his hand. The entire hallway shook as dust and debris blasted past them. She was shocked as none of the fused bits of metal hit them.

"C4. Come on." she followed him through the hallways, being careful to not point her rifle at him. He had told her that if she ever pointed her weapon at a team mate, or 'flagged' them, as he said, that he would personally shoot her. She stopped as he raised a fist, staring at the floor. "Mines, step where I step." He started to gingerly step through the corridor. She couldn't discern how he could see where the mines were as she followed.

"Will, how do you know where these mines are?" he was quiet for a second before he jumped and began trotting normally.

"Magnetic detection vision, with a SONAR overlay. Anything that reacts to or puts out a magnetic field, I can see." She smirked as she made the same jump he did. She landed awkwardly and started to fall backward, her heart leaping into her throat. Will's hand shot out and grabbed her chest plate, instantly shouting. "Do not move your feet!" she gulped as he gently pulled her up right and away from the mines. She let out a sigh of relief when he finally let go of her armor.

"Thanks Will." He waved it off as they marched into a massive room. Two balconies ran on either side of the room, and each of the four corners had a tunnel leading into the room. They moved out of the corner, stepping around stone pyramids and columns filling the room, almost like it was set up as an arena. They reached the center, finding a small fort like structure with four pyramids as the corners and four columns laid down as walls.

"Paint ball anyone?" Mira raised her eyebrow at him, confused. Red blaster shots started lancing through the arena and Will dragged her over one of the columns. She stopped trying to count how many androids she saw as she fired round after round at them. She ducked down and held the trigger, creating a charged shot. Her body moved of its own accord as she popped up and released the massive bolt. The red ball evaporated the chest of one mech, tearing the head off another. Silver bolts lanced out from beside her and her jaw dropped as the shots seemed to just tear through the mechs. They both dropped down, sitting on the sand as large volumes of red bolts shot over, heating the already scorching hot air.

"I think they have us out numbered will!" his shoulders dropped as he glared at her.

"Nah, I hadn't noticed! Just keep shooting, okay?" she grinned as she leaned up, firing into a mech advancing on them. The air was suddenly filled with an almighty crack as a red lance tore clean through a pair of androids. High pithed blasts filled the air as silvery blue bolts lanced out from the same balcony as the sniper rounds that were now raining down on the Mechs. She smirked as she recognized the silhouettes of Falco and Katt up on the balcony. The last of the androids fell, easily outmatched by the four of them. Falco's voice drifted down to them as he hollered.

"Hey guys, guess you owe us one!" Will smirked as he hollered back.

"Nah, we were fine! Keep moving, we'll link up later if we can!" Falco waved as he marched out, Katt following. Will motioned for her to follow as he marched over to the middle of one of the long walls. She hadn't noticed it when she walked in, but there was a steel door in the wall. Will grabbed out a block of what looked like clay and mashed it onto the metal. He tapped a few keys on the control pad and dropped behind a column. She stood behind him and nodded to him, showing herself as ready. He detonated the charge and rushed around the corner. He was through the doorway, already swathed in smoke and dust. She heard his rifle go off as she rushed in after him.

()

Bill heard a faint click and froze. Every trap he had encountered so far had been forewarned by that click. He heard a strange sprang and narrowly dodged the long metal shaft that shot through the air. He felt something tear into the side of his upper arm and he clutched the fresh wound. He moved his hand to look at the wound, realizing it was just a graze.

"Damn this hurts!" he clenched and unclenched his fists as he walked, trying to block out the pain. He turned the corner and walked right into Lucy. She fell onto her rump as he staggered slightly, still clutching the bleeding wound. "Oh crap, sorry Lucy." He extended his hand for the brown and grey furred woman and helped her to her feet. She smirked as she brushed dust off of her.

"It's alright bill. Wait what happened to your arm?" he grimaced as he stared at it for a second.

"Trap. It's not serious, just hurts like no one's business." Lucy grabbed out her first aid kit and put a simple bandage over his injury. Blood was slowly soaking the bandage, but at least he no longer had to hold it. "Thanks Lucy. She smiled at him as she repacked the kit.

"No problem. Come on, there is a passage back here I didn't try." Bill nodded and followed her, raising his carbine up to his shoulder. Fox had insisted that Slippy install the folding stock on his own carbine onto all of the weapons, and Bill definitely wasn't complaining. They darted through one dark passage after another until they heard what sounded like voices. They both stopped and crouched, straining their ears to listen.

"Well, someone was here alright. Blasted all the androids apart. Some sort of bomb. Better tell the boss." The other man sighed, clearly irritated with his partner.

"Damn it Burt, when are you gonna realize that we can't use our radios in the maze!? Boss doesn't want anyone able to call out." There was a shuffle of feet on sand as the two men started moving. Bill instantly flicked his light off, Lucy less than a second behind him.

"I know that. Damn, whoever this guy is, he is definitely good. Or just has a big ass gun." Two figures were illuminated by the helmet flash lights on their armor as they came around a bend. They paused, seeing a fork in the path, one leading toward Bill and Lucy, the other to an unknown area.

"Hold up, let me check my map. Why the hell did our boss want this damn maze anyway? Constantly having to dodge traps and crud, and damn near impossible to know where the hell you're going!" Bill tapped Lucy's shoulder and toke aim. He tapped out a count down on her shoulder, starting with three fingers, then two, then one, and finally, he fired. Both soldiers dropped and they flicked their lights on.

"Quick, get that map!" she nodded and plugged into their PDA. She downloaded the map and transferred it to him as she spoke.

"Well that's useful as all hell. Come on, we want this fork." Bill followed her through the winding passageway, occasionally stopping to check the map. They stepped out onto a balcony of some sort. The air was filled with the smell of fused metal and acrid smoke. Bill coughed as he aimed his rifle below, seeing the mounds of destroyed androids.

"Damn, someone really tore them a new asshole. Where too?" Lucy pointed to the other side of the balcony and they trotted along, the ninety pounds of ammo and Gatling gun making him fight for air. They finally rounded a few downward stairwells and stopped, listening again. They could hear weapons fire somewhere close by. Bill took off running, following his ears. He could hear Lucy's own footsteps hot on his tail.


	33. Chapter 33: Chance Encounter

Fox staggered back to his feet, having just barely dodged a massive swinging axe blade. He looked back, shaking his head.

"What mad man designed this hell hole?" he leaned up against the wall, panting. He started hearing loud barks again and he cursed. The pirates had been releasing Canines at him since he had fallen down the shaft. Fox dropped the rifle, letting it dangle on the tactical sling. His shotgun slid out of its holster as he brought it in front of him. Cornerian Shotguns were projectile based, using a magnetic rail to sling the metal pellets at the target. Thus, requiring one to rack the weapon between shots. Human shot guns used the same Uranium based Plasma shots, only each pellet was coated in ceramic that burst on contact. Fox racked it as the first dog sprinted around the corner. The first shot gun blast dropped it as he ran down the hallway. Another dog came out of a side path, already leaping for Fox. He racked the weapon, brought it up and fired. The dog's corpse slammed into him, knocking him down. He was about to roll over when a third dog bit down on his arm. Fox managed to grab his blaster with his left hand and fired a pair of bolts into the animals gut. He shoved the dead animal off and sat up, staring at his right fore arm. The puncture marks on it stung like all hell, but were barely bleeding. He sighed as he got to his feet, replacing the blaster and Shotgun to their holsters. Fox was suddenly cast off his feet. His vision flashed as explosion after explosion rocked the hallway. Shrapnel tore into his body in more places than he could count. One piece had torn the skin just beneath his eye. The explosions stopped as he fought to his feet. His vision blurred and swam as he tried to keep moving.

_ Krystal, I hope you're listening. I need your help._ Fox stumbled and fell to his knees. He tried to force himself back to his feet and kept moving. He heard a faint click and froze, hoping it wasn't another mine. There was a strange springing sounded just before a long shaft rip through his gut. Fox gasped before he collapsed to the sand. Fox fought to keep his eyes open as a silhouette approached from down the hall.

"Fox?" the figure lifted Fox's arm and wrapped it over his shoulders. "Hang in there Fox. I'm getting you out of here." Fox stared at the familiar figure, trying to think past the cloud that had filled his brain. He could see the glass panel covering the cybernetic eye.

"Wolf? Wh- where did you come from?" Wolf grunted as he responded.

"I could say the same to you Fox." He gently set Fox down, leaning him up against the wall. "Listen, one of your team members is headed this way. I have to go draw the pirates away. Stay alive Fox, and remember pup, this war is not what it seems." Fox tried to grab him, to stop him.

"Wolf. Don't go. Please." Fox blinked and another silhouette was running toward him. It formed into two people as he heard one of them shout.

"Fox?! Oh no, Fox!" Krystal slid to a stop in the sand, her eyes flicking to each of the wounds. "Hang in there Fox, I'm getting you out." She was about to pull him to his feet as Fox spoke, his voice weak.

"Krystal." He tried to raise his hand to her, but it just dropped back into his lap. Red blaster bolts began to rip past as the second figure crossed into his vision, someone he didn't recognize. He felt hands that weren't Krystal's as silvery bolts of light shot past, followed by Hawkins.  
>"Mira, Krystal, haul him out! New guy, Suppressive fire!" Krystal pulled his arm over her shoulder, much as Wolf had just done, as Mira tried to tend to his stomach wound. More blaster bolts were ripping past as Falco and Katt ducked in and out of cover, firing on unseen enemies. His eyes snapped open as Krystal froze. There was a pirate blocking their path. He was suddenly sent sprawling by a pair of combat boots kicking the side of his head. Lucy sprang back to her feet as she shouted.<p>

"Come on! This way! We found a map!" she led the way past Bill, who was busy setting up the massive Gatling gun in the hallway. A high pitched whine filled Fox's ears as the weapons started firing. His eyes shut again, and when they opened, he was lying flat on his back, inside the shuttle.

"Slippy, go! That's all of us. We need doc Townsend in the hanger when we get there!" he didn't hear Slippy's response as Hawkins shoved Krystal aside as he pulled the wrapping off Fox's stomach. He grimaced as he looked Fox in the eye, speaking.

"Just hang in there McCloud, you're gonna be fine!" his voice sounded like it was coming from the end of a long tunnel as his vision darkened.

"Come Fox! Please don't die on me!" Krystal's voice was so quiet and distant, that he almost thought he had imagined it. Within seconds, there was no light or sound in his mind anymore.

()

Wolf half ran onto the bridge of the wolfhound, instantly speaking to riley.

"I want you to hail the Great Fox, now!" Riley opened the sensor data, speaking as calmly as possible.

"This was from just two minutes ago. The Great Fox is long gone. She fired a few rounds planet side and jumped out." Wolf cursed as the com terminal suddenly lit up. He answered the call and Admiral Douglas appeared.

"O'Donnell, any luck planet side?" he shook his head as he moved to in front of the camera.

"I found Panther, but they wiped their own hard drives. They knew we were coming. And they know we are hunting for data." Douglas stared at his boots, as if he wasn't sure how to say what was on his mind.

"We have a bigger problem. Operational control of the invasion has been handed over to the Russian Prime minister. He explicitly stated that all reports home were to go through him. I have a hunch that if I were to even try to send any evidence back, he would stop it. Just my gut sayin so." Wolf nodded as he ordered a course to regroup with the Admiral's battle groups.

"Alright. I ran into Star Fox down there. Didn't get the chance to say anything to them. But, I think they won't be too keen on this war if they keep digging." The admiral stroked his chin as he turned away from the screen, clearly lost in though.

"Alright. See you at the fleet. Douglas out." The image Faded away as Wolf Turned back to the other people on the bridge.

"Status, now!" Panther was instantly speaking, his normally smooth silky voice rough and dry.

"Bad. Haven't slept or eaten in days. Been surviving off dead path finders." Wolf turned his attention to leon, who was busy on one of the consoles.

"Anything from Dash?" Leon held up a finger while he finished reading.

"Yes, the stupid kid found out some information about the public standing. A lot of the government is becoming unsure of the star fox teams loyalty, a few individuals in particular. He is going to try to hack into the galactic net and see what else he can find. Also has leads of members of the intelligence community that maybe crooked." Wolf started pacing back and forth as he spoke to the ships pilot.

"Riley, status?" the pilot didn't even look up from his screens as the primate spoke.

"Ship is adjusting course, re adjusting power flow for Warp jump. Engines are primed for the jump." Wolf stopped pacing as he dropped into his command chair.

"Panther, go get some food in you and rest. Riley, punch it." the ship vibrated violently as the cluster of main engines fired, pushing the ship to close to a tenth of the speed of light. The craft could attain a much higher velocity, but the gravity in the system drew enough micro particles together that made high speed space travel dangerous. The ship finally settled as riley spoke.

"Alright, should rendezvous in a few hours. You guys look exhausted. And no offense, don't smell too great either." Wolf grunted as he stood back up, resisting the urge to yawn and stretch.

"Riley, you have the bridge." Wolf stepped off the bridge and made for his cabin.


	34. Chapter 34: Out of Action

I stared through the window as Townsend treated Fox's injuries. Krystal was standing beside me, as well as the Pathfinder we had recovered, Saber. Saber kept glancing between Fox and Krystal, clearly mesmerized by Krystal, yet strangely concerned about Fox's welfare. Townsend finally set his tools down and stepped out of the medical bay, instantly speaking.

"Fox has lost a lot of blood. He isn't yet at the point in which he actually needs a blood transfusion to survive, but he is close. All of my O-negative was used up when Krystal was injured. Med supplies are still on back order. It will be a while before I'll let him fly again." I sighed as I glanced through the glass.

"Will human blood work?" Townsend looked me up and down, almost as if he was grading me.

"Under normal circumstances yes, but your medical file says you don't have the same as him. No one on the ship is O-neg, and that is all he can accept." Saber instantly stepped forward, his deep smooth voice breaking Krystal out of her trance.

"I'm O-neg doc. I can help him." Townsend clapped his shoulder and led him into the med bay as Krystal finally spoke.

"Do you think he is going to be alright?" I smiled at her in as much of a reassuring way as I could.

"Yeah, he will. I've seen people come home and make a full recover after much worse. Just could be a slow road." She smiled weakly as she stared through the glass.

"I still care about him. I don't know if I ever won't." I rested one of my hands on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"So? Embrace it. You don't have to be dating someone to care about them. Look at me and Mira." She laughed, stiffly, but still genuinely.

"I don't think you two make a good example there Will. I know what your dreams are." I playfully punched her shoulder.

"Yeah, well, I tried. Come on, you look like you could use a bite." She nodded and followed as I led the way to the galley. Savannah was serving a Cornerian version of a cheeseburger, made from animals I had never heard of before. Mira slid into the seat next to Krystal as we all sat in one of the corners.

"Hey Will, Krystal. How's Fox?" Krystal tried to smile as she spoke, clearly fighting the urge to cry.

"Townsend thinks he will be fine. He's getting a blood transfusion as we speak." Mira smiled as I bit into the food, trying my best to be polite about it.

"That's really good. I hope he's alright." Krystal smiled at Mira, this time much more genuinely.

"Yeah, it is. Hey, I've been meaning to ask, but didn't you go on a date before we left? How'd it go?" Mira seemed to shrivel, her tail flicking madly behind her.

"Um, yeah, it did. We're planning on reconnecting if we both survive this war. He is actually a squadron commander already, was just given a command when we left Corneria." Krystal smiled and hugged Mira, seeming much happier than when she was outside the med bay. Mira glanced at me, her voice filled with sarcasm. "Hungry Will? I got another sandwich here if you need it." I had already finished my burger while they chatted.

"Mira, it is a burger. Not just a sandwich. Anyone can throw a sandwich together, but burgers, they are a fine art!" silence stretched between the three of us while I fought to keep a straight face. Mira had a very confused expression on her face while Krystal, after undoubtable reading my mind, was suppressing a laugh. I suddenly smiled, speaking as I did so. "Gotcha!" the three of us burst out laughing, the mood somehow lightening. Saber suddenly slipped into the seat on the other side of Krystal, dropping a double loaded tray down in front of him.

"Sounds like a riot over here." We all smiled to him as I held my hand out to him.

"Saber, right? My name's Will." He nodded and shook my hand as Mira snaked her own in front of Krystal. He shook hers as I spoke for her. "And this is Mira." He nodded to her as he turned his attention toward me.

"I have to ask, but how the hell did a human get on Star Fox?" I rolled my eyes as Krystal spoke.

"Because he was good enough. And he watched Cicero happen." Saber nodded, evidently content with this answer as he dug into his food. He was moaning softly with each bite until both Mira and myself could not help but laugh.

"What!? You would be savoring every bite if you had been living off protein nibs for weeks too!" I smirked as I remembered my days in field training with the military.

"Well, I do understand. I was stuck on a primitive world for almost two weeks what, four and a half years ago?" I half glared at her, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"Oh come on, you were in a stasis crystal for all but what, twelve hours?" she laughed as she spoke to me directly.

"You didn't see how I ate after words. It was most… Unladylike. Even Saber here is eating much more pleasantly." Mira looked smug as she responded to Krystal.

"Well, clearly _someone_ didn't get put off by it!" Krystal's face darkened as I kicked Mira's shin, glaring at her. She looked at me with a pained expression until she understood what she had said. She made an _Oh! _Expression with her mouth as I spoke.

"I'm sure it was quite the scene Krystal." She stared at me for the barest trace of a second before her voice floated through my mind.

_I know your trying to help, but don't push it._ Her voice came out strained as she spoke aloud.

"Well, I'm not really hungry. I think I'm going to go catch some sleep. Good night. Or day, whatever." She slid her untouched tray toward Saber before she stood and marched out of the cafeteria.

()

Krystal swung and countered against an invisible enemy, her staff feeling more like a friend than a weapon. She finished a rapid flurry of a combo as a voice spoke, making her jump.

"That's some pretty smooth work there. Want to go a few rounds, you look like you could use a sparring buddy." She smiled at saber as he stepped onto the training mat, his hand already pulling the sword off his back.

"Alright, fine. Hope that thing is dull." Saber grinned as he gracefully twirled the weapon.

"That's the funny thing about Cerinian weapons. They are only as sharp as you want them to be." He suddenly lunged forward, thrusting the blade at her chest. She barely managed to deflect it just before swing the bulbous end of her staff at him. The sparing match went on like this, eternally locked in an almost dance with one another, neither one gaining the advantage. He suddenly backed off far enough for them to speak.

"You're really good Krystal." Her tail flicked as she felt blood rushing to her cheeks.

"So are you, Saber. Are you a telepath?" he shook his head smiling as they circled each other like vultures.

"No. well, scientifically speaking, I'm an empath, meaning I can sense people's emotions and intentions. But not thoughts. So you can't lie to me, but I won't know the truth either." She smirked as she lunged forward, swinging toward him. He narrowly deflected it as she darted back.

"So, you didn't see that coming?" his grin expanded as he shook his head at her. They both jumped as a third voice joined them.

"That's pretty damn good there Saber. She mopped the ring with my ass." She glanced up to see Will leaning against the wall, watching them.

"You were stuck with a staff Will. It isn't exactly your specialty." He shrugged as he moved onto the training mat.

"Yeah, good point. Hey saber, one on one, you with your pointy thing, me with mine." Will's knife slide out of it's sheathe, being easily flipped into an upright grip. Saber shrugged as he stood in front of Will, Krystal politely stepping out of the way.

"Alright, ladies first Will." Will simply assumed his combative stance, flicking the knife back into a reverse grip. Saber suddenly sent his blade in a fast overhead strike. His blade was just a flash of light, but Hawkins was somehow faster, deflecting the blade away from him with the tiny knife. As Saber staggered from the missed blow, Will slammed his fist into Saber's wrist, knocking the sword from his hands, then stepped closer and spun, slamming his elbow into Saber's back. Before Saber could stagger away, Will had snaked the knife around his neck and held the dull backside of the blade onto Saber's throat.

"See, I can be very deceptive. It's never in the advanced building or power of a particular weapon that makes someone good with it, it's all in how it is used." Saber grinned and shook Will's hand.

"I have to ask, but how'd you get hand to hand classes?" Will smirked as he responded.

"Back home, on earth. Again?" he shook his head as he rubbed his shoulder blade and moved to Krystal. Saber was sweating profusely as he sat down beside her. She suddenly realized that she was doing the same.

"That was pretty impressive Hawkins." He shrugged at the sound of her voice, plopping down on the other side of Saber.

"Knifes are just something infantry need to know their way around. I'm better with a knife than anything else." Krystal grunted as she collapsed her staff, dropping it into her lap. Hawkins suddenly stood up, speaking. "I'm going to go see if there is anything close to a flight simulator on this ship. See ya around." Krystal glanced nervously at Saber after he left, the room suddenly felt almost awkward. Silence stretched between them before Saber finally spoke.

"So, you and Fox eh?" Krystal laughed as she responded.

"No. not anymore." Saber grunted, a smirk appearing on his face. He stood and offered her a hand up. She smiled as she accepted it, easily being pulled to her feet.

"Any way, I should go find that room I'm to be sleeping in. I think the name was Bill or something?" Krystal followed him through the doorway, her voice rising a few octaves.

"So Will moved back in with Mira! That's good. I'll show you the way." He smiled to her as they stepped into the elevator.

"Thanks Krystal. And no, it's only temporary until I'm off the ship. Apparently, he likes sleeping in Bill's room. Says him and Bill are always swapping stories." She smirked as the elevator stopped.

"Mira and Will are wing mates. And our two newest pilots. And here we are!" she stopped facing Saber with her hands resting on her hips.

"Well, thanks. I'll see ya around." He knocked on the door as she spoke to him, unable to stop smiling.

"Oh you can count on that." Krystal trotted off down the hall. She suddenly stopped as she heard voices coming from Mira and Will's open door.

"Peppy says Fox will be out of action for a while. Wants me to lead the team until he recovers." Krystal got as close as she dared as Mira responded.

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" she heard Hawkins sigh before he continued.

"No it's not Mira. The last time I commanded anyone, I lost almost all of them. If I'm in charge, then it's just going to happen again." Krystal suddenly decided to join the conversation and stepped into the doorway, leaning on the frame.

"Will, you'll do fine. Half the plans we have gone into battle with have been your invention. You can do this." Both of them jumped as she spoke. Will faced her, looking terrified.

"oh, we didn't know the door was open. I guess, but thinking of a plan and executing it are two totally different things." Krystal smiled at him and stepped into the room, gently squeezing his arm.

"You'll do fine Will. Quit worrying." A yellow light flicked on as Rob's voice penetrated the air.

"All Pilots, report to the Bridge. Repeat." Krystal smirked as she stepped out of the room, beckoning them.

"and here's the chance to prove it to yourself."


	35. Chapter 35: Saurian Conflict

Mira rushed after Will and Krystal as they shot onto the bridge. She noticed the Pathfinder was there too as Peppy spoke to the Hologram of General Pepper. He was sitting in a wheel chair for some reason she didn't know. Last she had heard, he could still walk.

"Alright, that's all of us sir." Pepper nodded as he started to speak.

"Star Fox, the UEC has launched a full scale invasion of the planet Sauria. The local Dinosaurs have been forced to pull out and the meager garrison we sent after the first incursion is being swarmed under. They need…" his voice was cut off by a coughing fit. "Ahem, they need assistance. I want the Star Fox team to support them." another coughing bout broke out, lasting longer than the first. "The main operating base for the CDF is the Krazoa palace, and what remains of the local combat forces have also retreated there. There are a few isolated FOB's around the planet, but I can't tell you exact status on them. Best speed Star Fox. Pepper out." His image disappeared as the bridge fell silent.

"Will!" Peppy gestured at him, like he was trying to get him to do something.

"Oh, um, Rob, set course to Sauria, put as much power as you can risk into the jump drives. I don't care if we have to repair hull plates. Everyone else, get ground kits ready and inside whatever storage compartments you can use. Have Slippy move what weapons and equipment that's in the armory to the Freighter. Be ready for anything." He spun to face Saber, speaking just loud enough for Mira and Saber to hear over the commotion. "Saber, I want you to get what training you can in Fox's Arwing. Krystal will be your wingman, and you two will hang back on over watch. Only engage if it's necessary." He nodded and trotted out with the others. Mira trotted over to him, speaking quickly.

"Do you really think we will be doing ground operations?" he nodded as he responded.

"Yes. Sauria has some funky energies floating around its skies. Flying is really tricky there. There may be days that the troops need support that energy storms are to active to fly. I want you to keep my pilot rig from now on. Okay?" she nodded as the two of them set out for their room.

"Okay. Will, you're going to do fine as our leader. Okay?" He stopped and faced her, obviously confused.

"What brought that up Mira?" she smirked as she shuffled her feet.

"Because I know you think you won't be. But I know you will." She smiled in the most reassuring way see could. He hugged her, so unexpectedly that she almost didn't hug back.

"Thank you Mira. Just promise me that anything I tell you to do, you do it. No matter what it is." Mira looked at him as he let go, confused.

"Don't I already have too?" he smiled gently, but somehow seeming sad.

"I'm not asking as your leader, or your wing man. I'm asking as your friend. And even if I tell you to abandon me, do it. Okay?" she nodded, trying to find why he was suddenly saying this from his expression.

"Yeah, I will. I promise. Is something up?" he shook his head and stalked off down the corridor. Peppy's voice blared through the intercom before she could move.

"All personnel, we will be arriving at Sauria in less than six hours. Get your gear prepped now!" she sighed and ran throught halls. She slid to a stop in their room, sliding the pilot rig on as Will packed his bag. She watched for a second as magazines and rations were dropped in before he stared packing one of his duffel bags with ammo and explosives. They both finished packing almost simultaneously. Hawkins strapped his armor on as Mira stood and streched. She heard Hawkins rifle bolt cycle and she glanced at him. He was just making sure the weapon was empty. She shouldered her small assault pack of medical supplies as he grabbed his two bags.

"You know, the one thing us Cornerians seem to have going for us is equipment amount. We don't need anywhere near as much as you do." He smirked as he led the way out of the room.

"That may be so, but I don't see you being able to kill as much." He playfully punched her shoulder as they marched down to the hanger. She smirked at him before a small frown crossed her face.

"Damn it, how can we be so casual about killing people? We're monsters, aren't we?" Hawkins sighed as he stopped and faced, just outside the elevators.

"No. just the fact that it bothers you, makes it clear that you aren't a monster." Her eyes fell to his feet as she responded.

"You don't seem bothered by killing." She finally looked back into his eyes. He was smiling, but she could see the sadness welling in his eyes.

"Trust me. I don't like killing. But, sometimes, it's kill or be killed." She nodded as they finally began moving again, stepping into the elevator and riding it down to the hanger. They marched out of it together and were about to split to their fighters for pre-flight checks when she stopped him.

"Will, I… just want to ask you to be careful, okay? Don't do anything reckless again, please?" he laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

"Meh, I'll be fine. I just about always pull off reckless. Just worry about yourself." She pulled back from him, leaving her hands resting on his waist. His own were still wrapped around the back of her neck. They were both smiling at each other, staring into each other's eyes. His cheeks suddenly turned red and he stepped back, rubbing the back of his head. She let her hands drop together, loosely clasped over her thighs. "Well, I should tune my fighter up. Remember to adjust your helium tanks. You want a little more mass to your shots when hitting ground targets." She nodded as she put her hands into her pockets, shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

"I, yeah, alright I should go do that. Bye" he nodded as she turned toward her fighter and marched over to it, trying to look around without anyone noticing. Blood was still rushing to her cheeks as she glanced back at Will. A small smile spread at the corners of her mouth as he glanced at her, clearly still embarrassed.

()

Saber climbed into the Arwing and dropped into the seat. He searched the cockpit for the controls, only to find a single button and the basic flight controls. He pressed the button and a holographic display fired up. He smirked as he fired the engines up and slowly brought the weapons and other flight systems online. There as a lever below the throttle, embedded into the side of the canopy. The small print above it read brakes. He shrugged as he went through his preflight checks when his radio blared to life.

"Hey Saber, hows that Arwing for ya?" he smiled at the sound of the blue vixen's voice.

"Way more and advanced than fathers old AL-1. But it aint a bad thing. I have to ask, what's the brakes?" Krystal laughed as he finished his checklist.

"That activates the G-diffusion system, brings the fighter to a complete stop, even if the thruster is maxed. Very useful for shaking people and maneuvers." He nodded as Will's voice came over the team channel.

"Alright, one mike till we arrive above Sauria. Primary objective is to clear a path groundside, to that palace. The Great Fox will provide heavy fire support and blast any cruiser in our path. Slippy and Townsend will take the freighter and follow us with the equipment. Protect that ship." He cracked his knuckles and dropped his hands to the controls. The ship lurched and the bay door opened, revealing the darkened planet below. Fires were clearly burning down on the surface, and he could just barely make out the specs that were warships. Green and silver lances shot past each other, while small flashes showed destroyed fighters. The green bolts were clearly losing, and fast. Will's fighter rocketed out of the hold, the rest of the team following. "Great Fox, you are cleared to engage." He formed up on Krystal's wing, almost slamming into her fighter as he over corrected.

"You are really not good at this, are you?" he glanced at Krystal's fighter as he responded..

"I told you, my dad barely had a chance to teach me. I know the basics and that's about it." he watched as the battle drew closer. There were only two Cornerian cruisers up against at least five enemy battle groups, each consisting of three cruisers and six frigates per group. Fighters were swarming out of them toward the Cornerian ships.

"Looks like a mixed fleet, Chinese and Russian. Expect large numbers of light weight Fire Arrow drones and heavy weight Bear Cats. Don't let the size fool you, Bear cats are incredibly fast and maneuverable. Can almost match the tomcat for maneuvering" Saber gulped as they reached the violent battle, already having to maneuver around anti-fighter shots. A pair of bright green lances shot past, blasting one of the rectangular frigates into pieces. Saber fired his cannons as a pair of small triangular craft passed in front of him, blasting one apart.

"Good shot Saber!" he smirked as they continued to duck and weave through the fight. They raced pasta Cornerian frigate as it was blasted apart. Screams filled the air waves as old AL-4 bottlenose fighters raced past. Cornerian command had been pulling the outdated fighter back into service, mostly because most of them were still operational and in Cornerian possession. The CDF was almost beaten completely out of the war in the few short months since it had started. He let out a sigh of relief as flame rose past the nose of his fighter.

"This is the Star Fox team to Cornerian ground forces, requesting targets. And some local weather would be accepted too." He glanced at Wills fighter as they lowered deeper into the atmosphere.

"Star Fox! We need immediate support! The enemy is pressing on the palace, and I don't know how long till our positions fall!" the group changed course as they dropped to just above the tree line.

"Rodger that, we are in bound. Hold tight. Any energy storms around?" the voice came back as a lone mountain loomed before them, the peak was made up of a massive stone structure, at least fifteen stories tall and twice that in width. Explosions rocked the shallow slopes on the mount, clearly showing the CDF's defensive positions.

"Negative, marking areas with highest enemy threat level now!" Markers and red zones appeared on Saber's HUD as Will spoke.

"Saber, Krystal, go high and keep an eye out for enemy fighters, everyone else, spread out, and start nailing targets. Move out!" Saber pulled back on the control yoke, taking his fighter up and away from the fighting.


	36. Chapter 36: Twilight's Fire

I juked my fighter through the thick swaths of anti-air fire being thrown into the sky. I lined up on a pair of light weight hover tanks and squeezed the trigger, not getting to see them explode as I raced by.

"Will! We have inbound bogeys! Bearing, seventy two degrees! Gotta be Razors Edge again!" Krystal's voice was alarmed as I veered away from the ground battle.

"Alright, all craft, engage Razors Edge away from the enemy A-A, don't need to be dodging both!" the enemy squadron broke apart on my radar, four of the fighters flying low and fast, straight for the temple, the others splitting up to go after individual members of the Star Fox team. I locked missiles onto the four ground attack fighters and fired, watching the four rounds detonate harmlessly against their shields. The fighter that was angling in on me lined up for a head to head pass as I did the same. Blue bolts ripped past my fighter as I ducked and weaved, firing my own blue bolts back. Our fighters moved almost as one, rolling onto our sides and pitching down slightly to avoid slamming into each other, neither one of us scoring a hit. Time slowed down as our fighters passed each other, and I managed to make out a stylized name beneath the canopy. _Twilights Fire._ I shook my head, feeling like I was imagining things as I aggressively looped around toward him.

"Holy shit, Will Hawkins. Never really thought I'd see you flying again." I smirked as I was forced to dodge and juke, the faster fighter easily slipping onto my tail.

"Kyle Strumfist. Well, I guess I'll be kicking your ass yet again, little bro!" I suddenly rammed my collective up and right back down, followed by a sudden roll and pitch. His blue plasma shots kept flashing harmlessly past.

"First, I'm older than you, kid, second, I have a better fighter, and third, you were teaching me back then, now, I'm going to school you." He stayed glued to my tail as I randomly manipulated the controls, constantly changing the thrust, smacking the rudder pedals, changing the collective, and jiggling the control yoke. My random maneuvers were easily dodging almost every bolt he fired. I smirked as I responded, already planning my next move.

"Oh really? You aren't the only one to have learned new tricks!" I suddenly rolled level and pitched up, slamming the throttle to the max. Before he could line up on my near vertical climb, I killed the thrust. My speed reached zero and I pitched up again, making my fighter keel over backwards just as his shot past. Before he could react to the suddenly stall, I had pitched all the way back to vertical and slammed the throttle forward, my last two missiles leaping away from my fighter.

"You slippery little…" the rest of his statement was cut off as both missiles detonated, disabling his shields. Blue plasma bolts followed, tearing the G-diffusers off his fighter.

"In case you don't remember, you always had a better fighter, and yet, I still always won." His fighter crashed into the forest below before he responded.

"Damn it Will! I'm going to get you for this you sneaky little bastard!" I grinned as my attention went back to the radar screen.

"Hey Mira, Status?" the fighter she had been dogfighting was retreating, emitting random energy flares.

"Fighters fine, but my cannons seem to have run out of hydrogen." I banked back toward the others as I responded.

"Alright, pull back for now. Not much use unarmed." She laughed as two of the four fighters that tried attack the CDF ground troops looped back toward my fighter.

"I may be unarmed, but I make a good lure. I'm going to go help Saber." I smirked as the distance closed between me and the two Raptors. A new voice rang out over the radio, his thick Russian accent all too familiar to me.

"We meet again, Hawkins. Time for me to put you down as the dog you are!" I grinned as I dropped under them and suddenly veered upward, slipping onto one's tail while the other followed. A handful of well-placed blasts and the craft tumbled out of sight. The Russians bolts ripped past as I juked and dived. He easily followed me further and further away from the main battle, staying locked tight on my tail.

"I expected more of a fight from you. Tsk tsk." I grinned as I rolled into a canyon, using my collective to make much sharper turns at high velocities.

"Yeah try this on dumb shit." I hollered as my fighter roared through the tight winding canyon. Blue plasma bolts started raining into the canyon, blasting rock apart and filling the air with dust.

"Do you really think I would be dumb enough to follow you down there, when I can follow from above and still kill you?" I cursed into the radio as I paid more attention to my sensors than my clouded sight.

"Just hang on Will, I'm coming!" I glanced at my radar as the canyon widened. Mira was shooting straight toward them.

"Mira! Stay back! You don't have any weapons!" she laughed over the radio as I pulled out of the canyon, able to see her fighter fast approaching in front of me.

"I won't need 'em." And before I could respond, she slammed her fighter into the Raptor, causing both craft to spin wildly out of control. My heart leapt into my throat as both craft finally regained control.

"Damn you to hell, alien bitch! Razor's Edge, pull out!" his fighter limped away as smoke billowed from Mira's engines. The craft swayed and dipped dangerously as I shouted into my radio.

"Damn it Mira! What the hell were you thinking!?" another laugh echoed through the radio as she responded.

"Just being reckless. I learned from the best you know." I pulled my fighter even with hers as we angled toward the palace.

"If you ever do shit like that again, I will personally shoot your ass. Leave the reckless shit to me, okay? Damn near gave me a heart attack." She looked at me, smiling across the gap.

"I'm fine. Really. Ow!" sparks filled her cockpit for a second before she continued. "But this fighter on the other hand. Well, I think I cracked the fuel lines, losing engine power. I won't make it back to the palace." I sighed as I followed her.

"Then find the first clearing you can safely land in, and I'll pull you out, maybe get that bolt bucket flying again. She smirked as she lowered toward the ground.

()

Kyle kicked the side of his fuselage, cursing. He had spent hours just painting the name, '_Twilights Fire_' onto the hull. A faint smile crossed his face as memories of the squadron commander yelling at him to speed it up, just a few hours prior. He plopped down onto the dirt his fighter had plowed up, trying to relax a little as he waited to be picked up. A voice made him jump to his feet as it filled the clearing.

"Toss your pistol, disable all radios, and sit your ass back down for a little chat." He grinned as will slipped into the clearing, his rifle pointed at Kyle's chest.

"You really gonna shoot me?" he chuckled as the rifle lowered and he leaned up against a tree.

"What? Shoot my best childhood friend? Nah. Shoot him down sure, but shoot him, never." Kyle laughed with him as he sat back down.

"Well glad I can still trust you." He stayed leaned up against the tree as he pulled his infantry helmet off.

"How have you been? Haven't see you since high school." Kyle grinned as he stared up at the blue sky, brushing his fairly long brown hair away from his eyes.

"Nothing much, after you ran off for the Rangers with Amanda, I joined the navy as a flight mechanic. Worked my way up to pilot within two years. And right before this damn war, got myself engaged." Wills jaw dropped slightly in shock.

"Seriously? You and Zierra finally hit it off?" he laughed fighting it down, enough to speak.

"Aw hell no, we broke up after I signed up. She didn't want me going military. Me and Ashley." Ashley had been a friend of theirs since the beginning of high school.

"Damn, well, I always thought you two should hook up. Guess I knew her well enough to know she liked ya." His smile faded slightly as he responded.

"I actually asked her out at Amanda's funeral." Silence suddenly filled the air between them, making Kyle feel more and more nervous. "Will, why weren't you there? You two had been dating for years, you served with her, and yet you couldn't be bother to be at her funeral?" he sighed, and just one glance told Kyle that it was a touchy subject for him.

"My actions got her killed Kyle. I was medically discharged before they could even get her body back to earth, dumped me on the streets of Mars. I hoped the first merchant ship to Corneria after that. I… I couldn't bring myself to be there. How can you show up to someone's funeral who you killed?" silence stretched between them again, and Kyle was very quiet when he finally responded.

"I guess I would have had a hard time too. Is that why you are fighting for the CDF? Or does it have to do with an alien love bite?" Will raised an eyebrow at him looking utterly bewildered.

"Alien love bite? What the fuck are you talking about?" he chuckled slightly as he responded.

"That gal, Mira, or whatever. Sounded like you really care about her." His expression remained the same as a small smile spread across Kyle's face.

"What?! No! Wait, I mean, she is my wingman, I care about her yeah, but no, not like that!" he smirked as his radio buzzed to life.

"Strumfist, we are almost to your beacon, E.T.A. one mike, out." Kyle cursed and leapt to his feet.

"Go! Before they get here!" he needed no second invitation, and was already sprinting through the trees. He was long gone as the transport arrived, its exhaust filling the clearing.


	37. Chapter 37: Ambushed

Mira cursed as she kicked the side of her fighter.

"Damn it, why the hell did I do that?" she jumped as a twig broke behind her, leveling her blaster on the helmetless figure.

"Damn, and I thought I had anger issues." She glared at Will as he stepped through trees and started pulling panels off her fighter.

"Alright, so, think you can get it flying again?" he held up a finger as he opened up another panel over one of the G-Diffusers. He sighed as he pulled damaged parts out.

"Don't pull any heavy maneuvers. You won't have any inertial dampening. And your engines are running, but you lost most of your fuel, so don't use the after burners. Slow and steady all the way there, I'll cover okay?" she nodded as he bypassed more systems than she could count, jury rigging the fighter into operation. He sighed as he finally replaced the last of the panels, wiping sweat from his forehead. "There you go." She smiled and hugged him.

"Thanks, jack ass." She playfully punched his shoulder plate.

"Well I guess I'll see you in a bit." He trotted off into the forest as she dropped into her cockpit. After a few minutes, his fighter was hovering above her. She fired her craft up and gently lifted into the air, feeling every lurch and shift of the fighter. "Remember gentle acceleration, don't want to knock yourself out now do we?" she chuckled as she gently accelerated, flying just above the tree line. The sun was setting off her port wing and she watched it as their fighters drifted along.

"This is quite beautiful, you know." She heard him grunt as she glanced at him.

"Yeah I guess." She smiled as she responded, still staring at his canopy.

"You guess? Come on, look at that view, and tell me that isn't beautiful." She could see him shift in his cockpit.

"Hmm. It's not bad, but I see a better view on a daily basis." She raised an eyebrow at him, about to respond when he was suddenly shouting. "Mira! Run! We have in bound enemy fighters! I'll deal with them, just get the hell out of here!" she glanced down at her radar, seeing the two full squadrons of large fighters bearing down on them. His fighter peeled away from her, boosting up to full throttle. She watched in horror as all twenty four ships closed in on him. She could see the specs that were their fighters off her starboard wing. Blue and red plasma bolts lanced past each other as he twisted and juked through them, three of the heavy Bearcats detonating in seconds.

"Will! What are you doing! Get out of there!" she heard him groan from strain before he responded, his fighter pulling extremely complex maneuvers.

"Mira, remember what I told you about following any order I give. Run! As fast as that ship will carry you, and do not look back!" fear crept into her heart as he killed two more of the enemy craft. She was having to pitch up now as she reached the base of the mountain. A flash came from the distant dogfight, as well as the plasma fire ceasing. Will's fighter dropped into the trees, trailing smoke and flames. An explosion ripped out of the woods as Mira screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Will! Damn it Will! What the hell were you thinking!" she guided her crippled fighter to the area being used as a make shift landing pad, her fighter clunking to the ground.

()

Bill rushed toward Mira's fighter as it slammed onto the hard stone floor, its thrusters sputtering she leapt out, tears streaming down her face.

"Mira! Where's Hawkins?" She shook her head, sliding to the floor.

"We were ambushed. He held them away from me and… and he… he got shot down! I.. don't think he made it Bill!" Bill's heart sank as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey, we'll find him. He's survived worse." Billed keyed his radio up before he continued. "Krystal! Get Falco and Lucy down here, we need to launch an emergency C-SAR!" Mira looked up from her hands as she continued to cry.

"Bill, his fighter exploded! Unless he is tougher than steel, he's dead." Bill stood as Krystal responded.

"Bill we can't! The enemy just launched another large scale offensive, they need us flying air cover!" Bill cursed and slammed his fist into the hull of Mira's fighter.

"Mira, stay here, help Slippy repair your fighter." She nodded and wiped away her tears. "Everyone else, mount up!" he stalked away, easily climbing into his interceptor. The others were still trickling into the area as he power his fighter on and lifted it into the air. Rain drops started splattering on his canopy and he cursed yet again. Rain was going to make it difficult to see and fight, giving the enemy ground more of a chance to nail one of them. Bill angled his fighter downwards, aiming at a group of heavy weight, treaded tanks that were advancing up the hill. His rotary plasma canon fired, tearing a few of the tanks apart. Arwing interceptors were equipped with a single rotary plasma cannon, nestled between the prongs of the nose, a seeking 'charge laser' and two missile banks where the cannons usually were on the normal Arwings.

"Going to try and take on the whole UEC by yourself now bill?" Krystal's Arwing shot past him as he lined up another strafing run, a trail of destruction in her wake. Bill smirked as he charged his charge laser and fired it, watching the bright green ball of plasma lance out and slam into an infantry unit. He was gone and past before the results could be seen. A warning alarm in his cockpit went off as a missile was fired at him. He juked and release chaff, trying to confuse the missile. It went after a piece of chaff and detonated as Bill looped back around, firing a missile into the launcher. It detonated in a ball of fire as Lucy spoke over the radio.

"We got inbound fighters! Looks like a squadron and a half of those Bearcat fighters." Bill glanced at his radar, then squinted through the thick rain at the specs in the distance.

"Damn it, Lucy, we'll deal with those fighters. Just keep them off the others." She acknowledged as he set his missile banks to ripple fire all fifteen of his remaining missiles, locking each missile onto a different target. He waited for a solid lock tone, then depressed the bottom on the side of his control yoke. His craft vibrated as all fifteen missile leapt away from him, heading for individual fighters. Thirteen more joined them as Lucy fire her own missiles. Nine of the craft disappeared under the salvo, a few of the others pulling away, severely damaged. The missile barrage left the remaining fighters disoriented as the formation shot past Bill and Lucy. He arced his fighter around, firing a charge laser into one of the craft, watching it disappear in a ball of fire. Lucy's fighter shot past his nose, her rotary cannon tearing into one of the other Bearcats. He banked onto the tail of one of the others, firing his own cannon at it. Green lances tore into the ship, tearing the unshielded craft into ribbons.

"Hey, looks like those fighters are all bugging out. Back to strafing?" Bill smirked as he guided his fighter back toward the enemy lines.

"Might as well." As he was heading back, he noticed a pair of tanks detonate from ground fired missiles, but these tanks were near the rear of the enemy formation, not the front. He slowed his fighter and gently banked around, watching as another white streak lanced out, blasting another tank apart. Rifle shots started arcing down on the missile position, just before silvery bolts started ripping away from the position, way too fast to be a rifle. Bill swooped down, firing his cannon into the advancing infantry as his radio suddenly lit up.

"Hey, glad you guys finally noticed! My radio is busted, and my helmet comms are short range only, couldn't reach you guys!" Bill grinned at the sound of Will's voice.


	38. Chapter 38: Out of the Frying Pan

I juked and rolled my fighter, trying to dodge the enemy fire. Plasma rounds ripped into my fighter's hull and a warning alarm went off, just before my controls went dead. I cursed and grabbed the yellow and black handle on the front of my seat and yanked. Explosive bolts blew the canopy off and my whole seat ripped away from the craft as it started to tumble downward. An old fashioned parachute deployed from the back of my seat, followed by me being jerked against the seats harness as the chute filled.

"Son of a… why am I always getting screwed like this?" The howling wind was my only response as I watched my fighter slam into the trees, detonating on impact. The enemy fighters peeled away, headed toward whatever landing zone they had launched from. My seat crashed through the trees until the chute got caught on the branches, leaving me dangling meters off the ground. I cursed again as I yanked my rifle from the clamp I installed for it and released the harness. Pain shot through my legs as I crumpled into a heap below the ejection seat.

"Mira, Bill, Great Fox, anyone, please respond?" my radio didn't even make any noise at all as I keyed it up. I cursed yet again before switching to the comm gear inside my helmet. The familiar crackling sound filled my earpiece and I stood, jogging away from my landing site. Voices drew my attention and I dropped to the ground.

"They really shot one of them Star Fox guys down? Damn." A second, rougher voice joined the first.

"Yeah, they say he bailed out. Should've landed 'round here somewhere." A third voice followed, speaking in a language I didn't know, and didn't seem to be on my universal translator. The other two laughed as the second man spoke again.

"Hey would you look at that. Got himself hooked on a tree. Hey Char, get tracking, I'll radio the rest of the fire team." The unfamiliar language spoke, footsteps growing closer to my position. I peeked up, seeing the U.S. Special forces soldiers, each wearing their thick battle armor. I slipped a grenade out of its pouch, activated it, and chucked it toward them. The grenade landed at the feet of the tracker and detonated, blasting all three soldiers onto their asses. I toke of running, sprinting away from the enemy soldiers. My hand moved on its own, grabbing the small drone in a pouch on the back of my belt and turning it on. The drone rose high above me, a thermal scan highlighting the enemy troops on my HUD. Another three man group was ahead and to the right of me, forcing me to veer left in my wild sprint through the trees. I narrowly managed to leap across a small gully, nearly smacking into a tree as I landed. More troops joined the first group, until an entire twelve man fire team had grouped up to chase after me. I slid to a stop, waiting for the first one to come into direct sight. As soon as he did, I opened fire, watching the silvery bolts rip into his shields. The fifth and sixth round punched through his armor's chest plate, flattening him. I toke off running as one of them shouted.

"Man down! I need you over here Doc!" trees whipped past as I ran, ducking and weaving through them. The drone's threat counter suddenly started rising insanely fast as a mass of troops formed on my map in front of me. I cursed and slid under a group of downed logs, aiming my rifle back the way I came. Massive armored boots slid to a stop outside the log pile I had hid under.

"Damn it, where did that slippery bastard go?!" another pair stomped by as I fought to control my breath, keeping it as deep and slow as possible.

"Well, if he kept running that way, he's dead. Main force is camped just up ahead. If only he hadn't shot Char, this would be a friggan cake walk!" the logs above me creaked and moaned as one of the half ton soldiers marched over the log pile. I hoped the logs wouldn't snap as a second moved over.

"How is Char?" the first soldier was speaking again. I glanced at the read out on my HUD that displayed the number of rounds remaining in my weapon. Twenty two is what the cyan numbers showed.

"Banged up pretty bad. Rounds ripped right through his armor. Had to be a UEC rifle loaded with tungsten shells. Nothing else a pilot could carry could do that." One of them cursed as I brought up the drone's view on my HUD. Ten of the twelve soldiers that had been chasing me were all around my position.

"Alright, we need to get back to the fight. Main assault is launching soon. Get your asses moving!" the troops trotted away and I waited for them to be long gone before I crawled out of the log. I followed the path they had taken, my weapon raised and ready to fight as the sun dipped below the horizon. I came up on a small ridge overlooking a cleared valley, filled with tents and equipment. I smirked as I slid down the ridge, right into a small supply depot. Two soldiers were laughing about something as I slipped my knife out and ducked between crates. I was barely a meter away from them when I dashed out from behind the crates, slamming my knife into the back of the first's neck. My feet brought me into a spin, yanking the knife out and allowing me to plunge it into the other man's spinal column before he could even think to react. I grimaced as the two of them slumped to the ground, either dead already or dying. There were weapons all around me and I gathered as many anti-tank launchers as I could before setting up a rotary cannon, overlooking most of the camp. Rain was falling in thick sheets by the time I had finished. As soon as I was ready I grabbed a missile launcher, locked onto the first tank I saw, and fired.

()

"Hey guys, I found Hawkins! Just being his regular reckless self, taking on a whole battalion on his own! Krystal, see if you can swing by and give him a lift." Mira scrambled to her radio as she heard bill's voice emanating from it.

"You're shitting me right? Tell that asshole that I am going to beat his ass when he gets here!" She heard bill chuckle before he responded.

"Will do. Hey Will, Mira says you're an asshole. And that she is going to kick your ass when you get back." Relief swept over her as she leaned up against her fighter and slid to the ground. Her entire body was shaking as Krystal's voice came through the speakers next.

"Just stay close to the G-diffuser and you'll be fine. The field will keep you from being knocked off." Slippy moved over to her from the other side of the fighter a grin on his face.

"Well, that's a relief, eh?" Mira smiled and accepted his hand up. Both of them were pacing back and forth as they waited for the fighters to return. The locals had used thick patchy tarps to cover the landing area from storms, making it feel like they were in a massive hanger, rather than an open place courtyard. Arwings started trickling in, some of them lightly damaged, until the one she was waiting for finally arrived. Will was standing on Krystal's starboard wing, one arm gripping the G-Diffuser for support. The craft lowered to the ground and hovered in standby mode. Will dropped off the wing of the craft, catching the wing with his hands and dropping to the ground. She rushed to him and pulled him into a hug.

"Damn it will, I am so going to shoot you one of these days!" he chuckled as he hugged her back.

"You really need to stop worrying about me so much. I always have some trick or another up my sleeve." She reared back and slapped him, both of them laughing afterwards.

"That is for scaring the crap out of me. Again." He grinned as bill trotted over from his interceptor, instantly speaking.

"Energy storms are moving in. We won't be able to fly until they pass. Word from the ground says that they still need help down there." Will nodded as he trotted over to the freighter, digging through the cargo until he found a crate he had filled.

"So we break out the land masters. Damn it, most of my Tungsten rounds were in my duffel." He grabbed a few bunches of magazines, replacing the rations in his assault pack with them.

"Can't you just raid enemy supplies?" he chuckled at Mira's statement and turned to face her.

"Yeah, but If I find tungsten rounds, then I need to start buying lottery tickets. Standard troops use depleted uranium rounds." The others slowly gathered around as he dropped a holo projector on the ground. "Alright, Saber, do you know how to pilot a Land Master." He nodded and Will continued. "Bill and Saber will drive the two Land Masters, Krystal, Lucy, take point and find them a safe path through here and around to the back of the enemy force." A green line tipped with an arrow traced through a group of canyons, coming around the back of the enemy force. "We will be targeting the enemy's supplies. Buy us some breathing room. I saw a whole bunch of supply depots along here, at least four. I'll send a drone to do a more thorough check. Bill, see what you can get in the way of infantry support, the more the merrier. Hooah?" they all stared at him, puzzled. "Hooah means anything but no, so unless you have a question, repeat it." they all echoed it before splitting off to find gear.


End file.
